Key facts
- Disabled people in the UK face "ridiculous" rules that prevent them from traveling abroad with their personal assistants.
- Local NHS care boards and councils have varying policies on funding travel for personal assistants, leading to discrimination.
- Joel, who has spinal muscular atrophy, has been effectively barred from overseas travel for eight years due to his local health board's policy.
- David, living in a neighboring area, receives an annual travel costs allocation for his PA team.
- MPs and disability rights campaigners argue these restrictions infringe on fundamental human rights and the UN convention on the rights of persons with disabilities.
- The Department of Health and Social Care expects integrated care boards to assess PA travel support requests on a case-by-case basis.
MPs and disability rights campaigners are calling for national guidelines to ensure disabled people in the UK have a guaranteed right to travel abroad with their personal assistants (PAs). Current policies vary significantly between local NHS care boards and councils, leading to situations where individuals with similar needs face different rules regarding the use of their care funding for overseas travel with their support teams.
Joel, a 40-year-old marketing professional with spinal muscular atrophy, has been unable to travel abroad for eight years because his local NHS integrated care board, Cheshire and Merseyside, will not allow his personal health budget to cover the travel costs of his two PAs. While he can afford his own travel, the additional expense for his PAs makes international trips unaffordable. His funder previously allowed such expenses in 2017 but later reversed the decision, deeming it a "historical error."
In contrast, David, 25, who lives in a neighboring health board area covered by NHS Greater Manchester, was eventually granted an annual travel costs allocation of £2,370 after a five-year battle. His local board relented last year after he provided evidence suggesting its refusal breached NHS guidance and human rights law. David was then able to take a trip to Europe with his PA support team.
Disability rights campaigner Jane Campbell described the restrictions as "ridiculous" and discriminatory, arguing that controlling where and when individuals can use their assessed support is akin to imprisonment. She emphasized the need for national guidelines to protect disabled people's rights and ensure they have the same opportunities as able-bodied individuals.
Debbie Abrahams, chair of the Commons work and pensions select committee, stated that these restrictions could potentially violate the UN convention on the rights of persons with disabilities. Marsha de Cordova, a former minister for disabled people, echoed the call for national guidelines, asserting that a disabled person's right to travel should not depend on the discretion of local officials.
The Department of Health and Social Care maintains that personal health budgets should offer flexibility and expects integrated care boards to review PA travel support requests on a case-by-case basis, considering the health and wellbeing benefits of overseas travel. NHS Cheshire and Merseyside and NHS Greater Manchester issued a joint statement confirming that all requests are assessed according to their policies and national NHS guidance.