FOI 2025/1536

Please could I ask for the following information related to Personal Health Budgets that you are responsible for under NHS GREATER MANCHESTER INTEGRATED CARE BOARD?
1. Please could you send me your Personal Health Budgets Policy?
If you don’t have one, please could you send me information on what you use for PHB governance and implementation with parents.

NHS Greater Manchester ICB (NHS GM) is currently progressing through the Organisational Change Programme, which is our response to NHS Reform. This includes a review of how we operate as an organisation both strategically and operationally. Therefore, as part of our response to NHS Reform, we are reviewing how teams and portfolios operate and as such, a review of operational policies is underway. Unfortunately, at this moment in time, NHS GM is unable to provide a copy of the information you have requested.
The release of this information is exempt from disclosure by virtue of section 22 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 as it is intended for future publication.
Section 22(1) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 states:
(a) the information is held by the public authority with a view to its publication, by the authority or any other person, at some future date (whether determined or not),
(b) the information was already held with a view to such publication at the time when the request for information was made, and
(c) it is reasonable in all the circumstances that the information should be withheld from disclosure until the date referred to in paragraph (a).
This exemption is subject to the public interest test and for the reasons outlined below, we are satisfied that the exemption applies.
Public interest test
There is an inherent public interest in ensuring that there is openness and transparency to increase confidence in procurement processes and the purchasing decisions made by NHS GM. Furthermore, disclosure of this information would also be consistent with NHS GM’s commitment to proactively publish data that is in the wider public interest.
However, this information is subject to is subject to review, validation and approval, prior to publication. Early release of the requested information could be misrepresentative, and it is in the public interest that this information is true and accurate.
After considering the arguments outlined above, we have decided that, on balance, the public interest is better served at this time in withholding the working version of the Personal Health Budgets Policy under section 22 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, on the basis that it will be published in the future once finalised, as outlined above.