At HFH we provide care to people with ongoing and long-term health conditions that require specialist care within their homes. This type of complex care can be funded through the NHS in what is known as a Personal Health Budget (PHB) and is how many of our clients fund their care.
What is a Personal Health Budget?
A personal health budget is an amount of funds provided by the NHS to support a person’s specific healthcare needs and pay for their care. This type of budget gives a person more control over their care and how it is delivered, allowing them to manage their care in a way that is personalised to them.
Who is eligible?
Eligibility for a personal health budget is determined by the NHS and typically includes both adults and children with long-term health conditions or disabilities that are in need of complex ongoing care outside of NHS hospital care.
There are three ways this type of budget can be managed:
- Notional Budget: The budget is held by the NHS, the individual will be informed of how much money is available and together with the NHS team will decide how the money is best spent. The care and support will then be arranged by the NHS.
- Third Party Budget: An independent organisation or trust holds and manages the budget on behalf of the individual. They will arrange the agreed care and support that the person requires.
- Direct Payment: The money is transferred directly to the individual, their representative, or an organisation they’ve chosen to manage their PHB. They are then in charge of paying for the care and support that has been agreed upon with the NHS. With this type of budget, a person must show how they have spent the money to ensure that it is being managed correctly.
An individual can spend their budget on services or equipment to meet their personal healthcare needs that have been agreed under their care plan. This could include specialist medical equipment, live in carers, or activities to help with integrating back into the community and improving physical and mental wellbeing.
The Process:
- To apply for a personal healthcare budget an individual or their loved one should get in contact with their NHS Continuing Healthcare Case Manager or by contacting their local integrated care board (ICB) for assessment.
- Once a person has been deemed eligible for a personal health budget an NHS team will work with them and other healthcare professionals to develop a personalised care plan that best meets their individual needs.
- The care plan will set out the person’s healthcare needs, the outcomes they want to achieve for their ongoing care and the resources that are required.
- Through this healthcare assessment the personal healthcare budget will be calculated. The amount will then be agreed by the local NHS service commissioners and the care plan can then be implemented.
The amount and allocation of a personal health budget is decided together by the individual, or their representative, and the NHS Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).
Managing a Personal Health Budget:
Enabling people to choose how they receive their care gives them a sense of independence and autonomy over their health and care needs. By having a personal health budget, individuals can take more responsibility for how their care is delivered, this can offer more flexibility regarding the structure and delivery of care but also places an emphasis on the individual to ensure sufficient training and best practice is maintained and appropriate contingency plans are in place to ensure they remain safe. If an individual contracts staff directly, they will need to follow UK employment law and ensure arrangements in place to pay staff appropriately and make any provision for statutory contributions and holiday pay.
How we can help:
As a specialist complex care provider, we are experts in delivering and managing all aspects of complex care packages. Regardless of how your care is funded, we understand the importance of being able to access the appropriate care to meet a client’s individual needs. We work closely with clients and their families to provide expert in-home complex care, allowing them to retain and regain their independence.
Navigating the cost of complex care and personal health budgets can be daunting. We assist our clients in understanding their budgets and work in partnership with NHS healthcare teams to deliver exceptional care plans to people who need it most tis can include evidencing any increases in care needs which may mean your funding, care plan and staff training may need to be reviewed.
If you would like to find out more about the complex care services, we can provide through a personal healthcare budget then contact our friendly team today.
