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New report recommends Personal Health Budget opportunity to deliver NHS targets

A report published today by Community Catalysts provides evidence that Personal Health Budgets (PHBs) change people’s lives, offer value for money and make care more personalised and sustainable.  The report focuses on Continuing Healthcare and Children’s Continuing Care in Cheshire and Merseyside, but the insights can be applied more broadly.

The report outlines ways to expand PHBs and makes recommendations for local action.

New NHS targets for Personal Health Budgets

The NHS 10 -Year Plan sets a new target ‘at least double the number of people offered a PHB by 2028/29, offer one million people a PHB by 2030…’ Hitting that target is a huge and exciting undertaking and one which will require Integrated Care Systems to act decisively, radically and quickly.

Key report findings

  • PHBs improve people’s experience and offer value for money
  • PHBs give people choice and control, allowing individuals to choose other options when traditional care services are not meeting their needs or not working for them
  • Cheshire and Merseyside have a strong and effective approach to PHBs
  • There are new, ambitious, NHS targets for PHBs. Insight into the Cheshire and Merseyside approach could help other areas meet these targets

Download the full report, including executive summary. An Easyread version of the report is also available.

Further information on the report

This report, commissioned by NHS England North West Personalisation and Community Services Team, is based on work delivered by Community Catalysts CIC. It reflects strong local practice through the stories, experiences and ideas of people who have a PHB and their families; third sector support organisations; health professionals and managers.

It explores opportunities, challenges and areas for improvement in the expansion of Personal Health Budgets (PHBs) within Cheshire and Merseyside.  The work was commissioned and undertaken before the publication of the NHS 10 Year Plan, but the insights and recommendations it contains will support the North West region in hitting the new targets.