Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Markham on 24 July (HL9409), whether they intend to make enquiries as to whether personal health budgets are available to all those receiving National Health Service Continuing Healthcare (CHC); and whether integrated care boards are providing information on personal health budgets to all those eligible for CHC, including offering them the option of taking them up, and supporting them to do so.

The Government have not made an assessment of whether personal health budgets are available to people receiving NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) that need them.

The Department is responsible for CHC policy and legislation, which includes the National Framework for NHS Continuing Healthcare and National Health Service-funded Nursing Care. Operational delivery of CHC is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) with oversight from NHS England. Quarterly performance data is used by regional NHS England teams to inform ICB assurance.

Legislation requires ICBs to provide people eligible for CHC with information about personal health budgets, to promote their availability and to provide advice and assistance with respect to requesting such budgets.