Personal health budget (PHB)

1. What is a Personal Health Budget?

A Personal Health Budget (PHB) is an amount of money to support someone’s health and wellbeing needs, which is planned and agreed between them and their health team. PHBs give people more choice, control and flexibility over the support they receive.

In North East London (City & Hackney, Tower Hamlets and Newham), PHBs are being used to support people to work towards an identified mental health recovery goal. PHBs can be used to buy an item, service, or membership that isn’t available through existing statutory or community support.

Each PHB request should start with personalised care and support planning, where the person works with their clinician to decide what will help them to be well and stay well. Once the mental health recovery goals are identified, they plan what is needed to achieve the goals. One of the options available is a PHB.

Core Arts is commissioned by NEL ICB to deliver the PHB Brokerage service for mental health recovery in City & Hackney, Tower Hamlets and Newham. The PHB team process PHB referrals which meet the standards agreed with ELFT (East London Foundation Trust) and NHS England. Core Arts PHB Service works in partnership with ELFT Recovery & PHB leads to support clinicians with related queries and PHB holders budgets.

The Personal Health Budget process requires referrers’ support and review the PHB alongside the PHB holder, as well as support the PHB holder to use the PHB as planned in line with the specific recovery goal and ongoing care and support.

For specific ELFT guidance please check here.

2. Who can access a PHB?

In North East London, our PHB service for mental health recovery is available for people who meet the following eligibility criteria:

  • Adults receiving support for their mental health from East London Foundation Trust (ELFT)
  • Residents of City and Hackney, Tower Hamlets and Newham
  • People who have recourse to public funds (unless on s117 aftercare, see NHSE guidance section 4.4).

3. Making a case for a PHB

A PHB request is submitted to Core Arts using the online referral form. On the referral form the clinician will provide details of the person’s mental health recovery goal and clearly describe how the PHB will help the person achieve their goal. The clinician should also provide details of other support options considered and why these were not suitable.

Please see our guidance notes for more information. We encourage clinicians to contact the ELFT PHB lead Bonnie or Antoinette to discuss any queries re: PHB requests before submitting a referral by email at bonnie.studd@nhs.net or by phone at 07436027771.

Once the referral has been submitted, if you have any question please contact the PHB team at phb@corearts.co.uk or by phone at 07585054308.

4. What can’t be funded by a PHB

Some things can’t be funded by a PHB because there’s already support for these through different avenues. These include alternative therapy, support for de-cluttering, and household items. See our guidance notes for more details about what cannot be funded by a PHB in North East London.

If you have any questions about what a PHB can cover, please ask us before making a referral or liaise with ELFT PHB lead Bonnie, who is available to support all aspects of Recovery planning in line with PHB.

5. ‘Stay connected’ smartphone / data

We have a streamlined pathway to fund smartphones and data for people who are eligible for a PHB, contact us to find out more.

6. How can I find out more?

Core Arts has a specific team of PHB advisors in place to support clinicians as the point of submission, we will also need to be in touch to process the PHB. It is the referrers role to support the PHB holder to implement thier PHB and be supported in this progress through thier clinician.  Please contact phb@corearts.co.uk or call us with questions or feedback and suggestions.