In July 2025, the Government published the 10 Year Health Plan for England.
In the Plan, the Government sets out the ambition to “at least double the number of people offered a Personal Health Budget by 2028 to 2029, offer 1 million people a Personal Health Budget by 2030, and ensure it is a universal offer for all who would benefit by 2035.”
Our response examines the Government’s proposed expansion of personal health budgets as outlined in the Plan.
We explore the contrast between policy intent, the experiences and evidence from the 2012 personal health budget pilot evaluation, and people’s current experiences of personal health budgets. We outline our concern that the Government’s proposed expansion of personal health budget numbers will further dilute the quality, and therefore success, of personal health budgets.
The Government intends that the expansion of personal health budget numbers will deliver a shift of power and control closer to people, on a vast scale. Without due oversight and a careful focus on quality, the proposed expansion risks turning that intended shift of power and control into a token offer that will deliver no real benefit to people. This will not only mean that the Government will fail to deliver on their intended impact, but that true choice and control will be further eroded from the lives of people with the most complex health and care needs.
We outline the essential steps that must be taken, including that the Government must evaluate the quality of personal health budgets, and work to improve the experiences of budget holders. This is the only way to ensure that personal health budgets remain a meaningful tool to improve people’s health outcomes and quality of life, and a sincere means of supporting more people to become active partners in their care.
Read our full response here:
November 2025