The Guardian
· collected 2026-09-18 · by Frances Ryan and Patrick Butler
Members of Parliament and peers in the UK are calling for a guaranteed right for disabled individuals to travel abroad, citing inconsistent local rules that prevent some from using their personal health budgets to fund essential personal assistant support during trips. For example, Joel, who lives in one region, is barred by his local NHS care board from using funding to cover PA costs when traveling internationally, while David, a few miles away, faces no such restriction and was able to travel abroad with his PA team this summer. Disability rights activists argue that these rules are discriminatory and violate the UN convention on human rights.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-18,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Disabled people must have a guaranteed right to travel abroad, MPs and peers have warned as further cases emerged of individuals barred from taking holidays as a result of “ridiculous” rules imposed by local NHS care boards and local councils.
asserted
cases → have → boards
Leading figures have called on the government to bring in clear national guidelines to ensure people who require full-time personal assistants (PAs) are not prevented from using funding for their 24/7 support team for breaks and work trips.
asserted
who → lead → breaks
Wide variations in local rules governing foreign travel mean whether a disabled person can take their care team abroad can depend on where they live, the whim of local officials or whether they are prepared to mount a legal challenge.
asserted
they → govern → challenge
The call came as it emerged two men with the same health condition and care packages, living just a few miles from each other are subject to different rules regarding overseas travel with their PA support team.
asserted
men → come → team
While Joel, 40, a graduate who works in marketing for a global brand, is barred by his local health board from using his personal health budget to contribute to the travel costs of his PAs when travelling abroad, David, 25, who lives in a neighbouring health board area, receives a travel costs allocation.
asserted
who → work → allocation
While Joel (not his real name) has been effectively prevented from travelling overseas for the past eight years – he can afford his own travel costs but not those of his two PAs – David was free to take a trip to Europe this summer with his PA support team.
asserted
David → prevent → team
“This is really unfair and brazenly discriminatory,” Joel said.
asserted
Joel → say → ?
“It is a fundamental human right that individuals with disabilities should have the same freedoms, opportunities and choices to travel as any able-bodied person would.”
asserted
person → have → freedoms
Jane Campbell, a leading disability rights campaigner, said: “These ridiculous care restrictions are against common sense.
asserted
restrictions → lead → sense
Stipulating where and when the person can use the support they’ve been assessed as needing is like tagging somebody, as if a prisoner out on parole.”
asserted
they → stipulate → parole
The Guardian previously revealed NHS care boards and local councils were refusing to allow disabled people to use their care funding outside the UK, even when they paid PA travel expenses themselves.
asserted
they → reveal → expenses
Joel’s case suggests other care boards are indirectly barring disabled people from travelling: while overseas travel is in theory allowed, in practice it is unaffordable without NHS funding for PA expenses.
uncertain
it → suggest → expenses
Lady Campbell said: “It’s as if those controlling the purse strings believe disabled people do not deserve the same experiences they enjoy.
asserted
they → say → experiences
The government constantly says how important it is for disabled people to work and take responsibility for their lives and yet when we do, these kind of rules are imposed.
asserted
kind → say → rules
“We need national guidelines on using care abroad now to protect disabled people’s rights and end this nonsense once and for all.”
asserted
We → need → all
Debbie Abrahams, the chair of the Commons work and pensions select committee, said the restrictions potentially breached the UN convention on the rights of persons with disabilities, which the UK has ratified.
asserted
UK → say → which
“Disabled people should have the same freedom as everyone else to travel for work, to visit family or simply to go on holiday,” said Abrahams.
asserted
Abrahams → have → holiday
Joel, who has spinal muscular atrophy, was initially allowed to use his health budget to pay for his PAs to travel with him and had two short breaks in Europe, at his own cost.
asserted
who → have → cost
Eight years ago, his NHS funder, now Cheshire and Merseyside NHS integrated care board, reversed its decision, ruling travel costs were valid for the UK only.
asserted
costs → reverse → UK
He challenged the ruling but was rebuffed, being told earlier this year by the care board that the period in 2017 when it permitted him to use his personal care budget for overseas PA travel costs was a “historical error in decision-making”.
asserted
it → challenge → making
Just 40 miles (64km) away David (not his real name) said his local care board made very different rulings.
asserted
board → say → rulings
Greater Manchester integrated care partnership blocked his requests for holiday PA expenses for five years.
asserted
partnership → block → years
Officials finally relented last year after he submitted detailed evidence suggesting its decision would breach NHS guidance and human rights law.
asserted
decision → relent → guidance
It allocated £2,370 annually to enable David to contribute to his PA team’s travel and accommodation costs.
asserted
It → allocate → costs
David, a graduate with a first class degree, last year took his first trip abroad without his parents, paid for by himself.
asserted
David → take → himself
He said: “It can feel like being in a prison for a person with my condition.
asserted
It → say → condition
I want to live how my peers live.
asserted
peers → want → ?
I want independence.
asserted
I → want → independence
I want a change of scenery from time to time.”
asserted
I → want → time
The MP Marsha de Cordova, who is a former minister for disabled people, said local variations highlighted the urgent need for national guidelines: “Disabled people’s right to travel should not be decided by the mood of local officials.”
asserted
right → say → officials
Cheshire and Merseyside’s most recent policy, approved last week [10 September] states that while disabled individuals can request holiday travel expenses for their PAs it would “not ordinarily” pay for them.
asserted
it → approve → them
It states it has an obligation to use NHS funds “in a way which is fair and equitable”.
asserted
which → state → way
NHS Greater Manchester said it had no ratified policy on holiday travel.
asserted
it → say → travel
The Department of Health and Social Care’s (DHSC) position is thatcare boards should examine all requests for PA travel support and consider the health and wellbeing benefits for the applicant of overseas travel for the applicant.
asserted
boards → examine → applicant
A DHSC spokesperson said: “Personal health budgets work best where people have real flexibility over how they use their budgets and we expect integrated care boards to examine each proposal on a case-by-case basis, in line with national policy and legislation.”
asserted
boards → say → policy
NHS Cheshire and Merseyside and NHS Greater Manchester separately issued the following statement: “While we cannot comment on individual patient cases, all requests for personal health budget funding are assessed according to our personal health budget and integrated budget policy on a case-by-case basis according to patient need.
uncertain
requests → issue → need
This policy has been developed in line with national NHS guidance.”
asserted
policy → develop → guidance
The Aporia
