£1.5m for personal health budget roll-out

To support the roll-out of personal health budgets £1.5 million has been earmarked to help individuals choose the most appropriate care for them.

A pilot programme involving more than 60 PCTs is underway to look at how the budgets can benefit those who need them, what the funding could be spent on and how personal budgets should be implemented.

People whose complex care needs are paid for by the NHS through the NHS Continuing Healthcare scheme, or those with a range of long-term conditions such as stroke, diabetes, neurological conditions, mental health needs and respiratory problems like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, COPD, have been involved in the pilots.

The evaluation is due to be completed in the autumn. To be ready as soon as the findings are known the department of health has now identified £1.5m to be made available to support the first stage of a potential roll-out.

The care and support minister Norman Lamb said: “We want to ensure more care is tailored around people’s individual needs and preferences. Giving those with complex health needs the control of how to spend money on their care gives them and their doctors the flexibility to try innovative new approaches to achieve better health outcomes.

“Subject to the results of the current pilot programme, our aim is to introduce a right to a personal health budget for people who would benefit from them most – the scale and pace of this will be informed by the independent evaluation.”