A personal health budget is an amount of money allocated to support the identified healthcare and wellbeing needs of an child who has been assessed by health and is eligible for Children’s Continuing Care (CCC).  

Children’s Health often contributes to personal budgets in the form direct payments which are set up and managed by the Children’s Disability Service. Services include personal assistants and domiciliary care to support medical needs and to arrange transport.

The right to have a personal health budget applies to people who are:

• adults receiving NHS continuing healthcare (NHS-funded long-term health and personal care provided outside hospital)
• children receiving NHS continuing healthcare
• people who are referred and meet the eligibility criteria of their local wheelchair service and people who are already registered with the wheelchair service when they need a new wheelchair or specialist buggy, either because of a change in clinical needs or the condition of the current chair. These people will be eligible for a personal wheelchair budget.
• people with mental health problems who are eligible for section 117 after-care as a result of being detained under certain sections of the Mental Health Act (this does not include detention under section 2 of the Act).

If you are not in a group that has a right to a personal health budget, but you are interested in receiving one, speak to your local integrated care board (ICB). ICBs make the arrangements for personal health budgets and are encouraged to offer them to other patient groups.

For further information please see:

• What is a personal health budget? – NHS (www.nhs.uk)
• NHS England » Personal health budgets for children, young people and families