TY - JOUR T1 - Crystal therapy for all? JF - British Journal of General Practice JO - Br J Gen Pract SP - e85 LP - e87 DO - 10.3399/bjgp13X660968 VL - 63 IS - 606 AU - Nigel Mathers AU - Vanita Patel Y1 - 2013/01/01 UR - http://bjgp.org/content/63/606/e85.abstract N2 - ‘Doctor, I’ve decided to spend my personal health budget on crystal therapy this year. What do you think?’‘Umm … well, umm … I’m not sure really …’In England, personal health budgets (PHBs) are being rolled out from April 2013, initially for patients eligible for NHS Continuing Healthcare,1 and the government has committed to give all those eligible the right to ask for a PHB by April 2014.A PHB is an amount of money allocated to a patient that allows them more choice, flexibility, and control over the care they receive. The budget will cover an individual’s health needs to achieve agreed health outcomes through an agreed care plan.‘Well, if you think that crystal therapy won’t help, can I spend it on a cat instead or … how about a scooter? It would at least get me out of the house.’Under the current regulations, a patient can choose to spend their PHB on any activity or non-traditional treatment, providing it is not hazardous to their health. As a professional, the GP has the responsibility to inform the patient if an activity is hazardous, but under the current General Medical Council guidelines,2 has to support the patient to make an informed decision.BenefitsPHBs are one of the tools through which, for some patients at least, the benefits of personalisation may be realised. In particular, they do have the potential to:3act as a stimulus for increased care planning, with its focus on outcomes and its emphasis on shared decision making;enable patients to access different types of care better tailored to their needs, for example, non-traditional treatments and services provided by the voluntary sector;give patients greater control and flexibility over who provides their care and when, for example by employing their own personal … ER -