A discussion paper which explores personal health budgets for people receiving NHS Continuing Healthcare has been published by the DoH.

It is aimed at healthcare professionals who will have a specific role in the initiative. Personal health budgets are currently being piloted in England, with over 2,700 participants across 20 sites. A number of sites are piloting personal health budgets with people eligible for NHS Continuing Healthcare.

In October 2011, the Secretary of State for Health announced that subject to the evaluation, by April 2014 everyone in receipt of NHS Continuing Healthcare will have a right to ask for a personal health budget, including a direct payment. This will form part of a broader rollout of personal health budgets to people with long term health conditions.

At the heart of a personal health budget is a care plan which sets out the individual’s health and social care needs and includes the desired outcomes, the amount of money in the budget and how this will be spent. The care plan has to be agreed between the individual and the professional, before being checked and signed off by the NHS.

Further information
www.dh.gov.uk/health