What is a personal health budget?

A personal health budget (PHB) is an amount of money to support someone’s health and wellbeing needs. One-off personal health budgets for mental health are designed to support people to achieve specific goals or outcomes enabling supported self-management and mental health recovery following hospital discharge.

What can the personal health budget be used for? 

Personal health budgets for mental health can include a range of things to give people access to care, support and services that are holistic, innovative and build on their strengths. Examples include:

1. Physical activities and equipment to help people manage voices, distract from paranoid thoughts, help with self-regulation and manage angry outbursts whilst also helping to develop friendships, build confidence and concentration.
2. Technology that helps people develop self-management skills in a variety of settings, builds confidence and supports independence, such as sensory needs equipment.
3. Digital equipment to sustain contact with friends/family, access relevant health management apps, online support and appropriate help. Digital equipment can also aid emotional regulation, self-management, the development of social interactions and prevent escalation into crisis services.
4. Music/art sessions that support expression and creativity, provide distraction from symptoms, help engagement with new environments and building of relationships.
5. Support with access to training and education opportunities including essential equipment needed to support these opportunities, to build self-confidence, learn to manage anxiety and identify further education or employment opportunities.

More information around what a PHB can be used for can be found in our patient/carer booklet or on our inpatient posters.

Who is eligible for a personal health budget?

To be eligible, the person will need to be either a current inpatient within Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust (BDCFT). This includes any beds which may be classified as out of area. It also includes any children and young people in an inpatient mental health bed or under the care of the Trauma Informed Personality Pathway (TIPP) team.

To find out more about our personal health budgets service, please contact [email protected]. 

Personal health budget pilot

Anyone who wants to know more about the background to the PHB pilot, visit Bradford District and Craven Health and Care Partnership website