Children's Continuing Care and Personal Health Budgets

In some cases, services can be commissioned through a Personal Health Budget (PHB). A PHB is an amount of money to support your identified health and wellbeing needs as planned and agreed between you and your local NHS team.

The aim of a personal health budget is to give people with long term conditions and disabilities greater choice and control over the healthcare and support they receive.

Currently, children and young people who are eligible for Children’s Continuing Care have the right to a PHB.

There is an expectation that the right to a PHB will also be extended to more groups including those with autism and/or a learning disability. The NHS ran a consultation on this in the Summer of 2018. More details should be available soon.

For more information on PHBs, please visit the NHS website.

What is continuing healthcare?

NHS continuing healthcare is the name given to a package of continuing care which is, arranged and funded solely by the NHS, for people with ongoing healthcare needs who meet the National NHS continuing healthcare eligibility criteria.

If you are eligible, you can receive free NHS continuing healthcare in any setting, such as:

- In your own home: services from a community nurse and personal care, such as help with bathing and dressing

- In a care home: as well as healthcare and personal care, the NHS will pay for your care home fees, including board and accommodation. ?

Who is eligible for NHS continuing healthcare?

To be eligible for NHS continuing healthcare, your main or primary need for care must relate to your health.

For example, people who are eligible are likely to:

- Have a complex medical condition such as dementia that requires a lot of care and support

- Need highly specialised nursing support

- Someone nearing the end of their life is also likely to be eligible if they have a condition that is rapidly getting worse and may be terminal.

Who to contact

If you would like a fully-funded NHS continuing healthcare assessment for yourself, for a family member or for a person you care for, you can speak to:

- Your social worker (if applicable)

- A member of the  clinical team involved in your care

You or a member of your clinical team can also contact the relevant Continuing Care Healthcare Team directly as follows:

This service is provided by Central London Community Healthcare Trust on 020 8383 6400.

NHS-funded nursing care

NHS funded nursing care is a weekly payment made on behalf of the residents of care homes with nursing who have been assessed as ineligible for NHS continuing healthcare but need to be in the care home with nursing so they can access nursing any time of the day or night.

For more information about NHS funded nursing care contact the Continuing Healthcare Team on 020 8383 6400.

Telephone

This service is provided by Central London Community Healthcare Trust on 020 8383 6400.