Patient Support Fund

TB patient with food bought from the Patient Support Fund

Please note:

The Patient Support Fund (PSF) is under review and we are not currently accepting applications.

We will keep this page updated so please check again for further progress.

As an organisation, TB Alert is advocating for the social care needs of patients to be funded by local statutory agencies, and in some locations this is beginning to happen. We would like to encourage and support you to speak to your public health department (or your CCG or local authority if you have good contacts) about the importance of meeting patients’ basic needs, and how this low-cost intervention helps patients complete their treatment. They may be especially receptive to this as treatment completion is an indicator that local authorities have to report through the Public Health Outcomes Framework.

One potential source of funding is the Better Care Fund, established in April 2014, which provides a pooled budget between CCGs and local authorities to support adult social care services where there is a health benefit. Patient support grants fit very well with the Better Care Fund’s priorities of preventing emergency admissions, effectively re-enabling patients, and improving patient and service user experience.

What is the Patient Support Fund?

The Patient Support Fund offers small, specific grants to help vulnerable patients meet the costs associated with TB treatment, and to help them take their TB treatment regularly and in full.

TB nurses apply on behalf of people undergoing TB treatment that need support with costs such as:

  • travel to hospital appointments
  • good nutrition
  • heating and electricity
  • household items, including toiletries and kitchenware
  • essential clothing, especially warm clothing.