Personal Health Budgets

A Personal Health Budget (PHB) is an amount of money to support a person’s identified health and wellbeing needs, which is planned and agreed between the person (or their representative) and the NHS professionals involved in their care. It is not new money, but it is money that would normally have been spent by the NHS on the person’s care, used more flexibly to meet their identified health needs.

The aim of the PHB is to support people with long-term complex health needs to have greater choice, flexibility and control over the healthcare and support that they receive to meet their assessed needs. Personal Health Budgets have been shown to help people improve their health and wellbeing. They are just one way of providing more personalised support and have been found to be of particular benefit for people with complex needs, helping to reduce time in hospital and maintain independence. A personal health budget will not be right for everyone, and it will not always be the best way to receive support.

If you're eligible for NHS continuing healthcare, the next stage is to arrange a care and support package that meets your assessed needs. Depending on your situation, different options could be suitable, including support in your own home and the option of a personal health budget. Your allocated case manager from North Yorkshire Continuing healthcare team will provide further information and guide you through these options and the process.