Personal Health Budgets
In this section you will find useful information about Personal Health Budgets, who can have one, how to arrange one for a patient or client, useful links and useful information to give to people thinking about having a personal health budget.
“NHS Somerset is a pilot site for Personal Health Budgets. In Social Care, direct payments and personal budgets for care and support are well established and these ideas are being tried in health. In the Somerset pilot, people will be eligible to have a personal health budget if they receive Continuing HealthCare funding and also have a Longterm Neurological Condition or a Learning Disability.
Personal Health Budgets can work in three ways.
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National Budget – no money changes hands. The budget holder knows how much money is available and talks to their care manager about the different ways to spend that money on meeting their needs. The care is arranged by the care manager
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Real Budget held by a third party. A different organisation or trust holds the money helps the budget holder decide what they need and buys the services the budget holder has chosen.
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Direct payment. The budget holder and their care manager jointly decide what the person’s needs are and what services are needed. The budget holder gets the cash to buy and manage those services and has to show the NHS what they have spent the money on. (This must wait till the legal changes have been completed).
Reports and Policies
Department of Health Personal Health Budgets: First Steps
Useful Links
NHS Choices – this is a comprehensive information service to help put people in control of their healthcare
Shop 4 Support – this is an internet-based market navigation system which includes information on homecare, equipment, residential care and financial/budget management services
Somerset County Council
Somerset Care Services Directory 2010/2011
Wyvernhealth – information for carers
For further information please contact Liz Little, Quality Improvement Manager, 01935 384015
