MPs and peers have called for a guaranteed right for disabled people to travel abroad, as further instances emerged of individuals being prevented from taking holidays due to rules set by local NHS care boards and councils. Leading figures are urging the government to introduce clear national guidelines.
The call aims to ensure that people requiring full-time personal assistants (PAs) are not stopped from using funding for their 24/7 support team for breaks and work trips. Variations in local rules mean that the ability of a disabled person to take their care team abroad can depend on where they live, local officials' decisions, or their willingness to pursue legal action.
One example highlighted involves two men with the same health condition and care packages living a few miles apart, who are subject to different rules regarding overseas travel with their PA support team. Joel, 40, is barred by his local health board from using his personal health budget for his PAs' travel costs abroad, while David, 25, in a neighbouring health board area, receives a travel costs allocation.
Joel stated, "This is really unfair and brazenly discriminatory," adding that it is a fundamental human right for individuals with disabilities to have the same travel freedoms as able-bodied people. Lady Campbell, a disability rights campaigner, described the restrictions as "ridiculous" and against common sense.
Debbie Abrahams, chair of the Commons work and pensions select committee, suggested the restrictions could breach the UN convention on the rights of persons with disabilities, which the UK has ratified. The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) states that care boards should examine all requests for PA travel support on a case-by-case basis, considering the health and wellbeing benefits of overseas travel for the applicant.