A consultation on extending legal rights to have for personal health budgets and integrated personal budgets

Currently, the only people who have a specific ‘right to have’ a personal health budget, are adults who receive NHS continuing healthcare or children receiving continuing care. The government and NHS England believe there are now a number of other groups who could benefit from this approach. They are therefore proposing to extend this right to other groups, to make sure that for people who want a personal health budget and/or an integrated personal budget to address their needs, and if deemed clinically appropriate, the system is in place to ensure they can receive one. These groups are:

• People with ongoing social care needs, who also make regular and ongoing use of
  relevant NHS services.
• People eligible for Section 117 aftercare services, and people of all ages with
  ongoing mental health needs who make regular and ongoing use of community
  based NHS mental health services.
• People leaving the Armed Forces, who are eligible for ongoing NHS services.
• People with a learning disability, autism or both, who are eligible for ongoing NHS
  care.
• People who access wheelchair services whose posture and mobility needs impact
  their wider health and social care needs.

The government and NHS England are seeking views on:

• whether you agree that the groups we have identified should be prioritised;
• whether you believe these groups would benefit from a personal health budget and/or an integrated personal budget or not; and
• whether there are other groups, or areas of the system that we have not identified, who you believe a personal health budget and/or an integrated personal budget could benefit.

You can access the consultation documents online at https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/personal-health-budgets-and-integrated-personal-budgets-extending-legal-rights 

Please share your views with james.cooper@togetherforshortlives.org.uk