This briefing builds on from our previous work where we engaged with people who had Personal Health Budgets, commissioners and voluntary sector organisations.
We found a range of barriers faces by Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic people in receipt of S117 care in trying to access and use PHBs. This included financial exclusion, discrimination and systemic racism that resulted in a lack of access and accessibility to mental health services. We also found that when done well PHBs were described as “life-changing” and were useful for enabling people to take part in activities that were beneficial, including thinking about returning to work. These Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic people suggested PHBs gave them more choice and more control over their mental health support options, for example, in signing up to the gym or attending courses.
Finally, we found that in order to improve people’s experiences of personalised care, it is important to focus on the individual and not any diagnoses they may have been given. PHB’s appeared to further empower individuals to develop skills for self-advocacy and become champions of their own care.
A key recommendation was that PHBs work best when used as part of a holistic package of support for mental health. Most people suggested this could be done by improving partnerships between VCSE-sector organisations and NHS Clinical Commissioning Groups.
Read the full report here.
Author(s): Esther Omotola Ayoola and Jabeer Butt
Publisher: Race Equality Foundation
Publication date: May 2020
