DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
News Release issued by COI News Distribution Service. 28 January 2009
Personal health
budgets in England moved a step closer today with the Department
of Health inviting expressions of interest for a new pilot programme.
Lord Darzi first announced the programme in his report High
Quality Care for All last year. Evidence from social care suggests
personal health budgets have the potential to deliver more
effective and responsive care by giving people greater choice and
control over the way money is spent on their healthcare.
To support PCTs and local authority partners who wish to submit a
proposal to the pilot programme, the Department has today
published Personal health budgets: first steps - a document that
outlines how personal health budgets might work in the NHS and
sets out evidence from other health systems. Rather than a
definitive guide or rulebook, First Steps encourages PCTs to take
an innovative approach to personal health budgets and explore the
opportunities they offer.
The pilot programme will run from the end of 2009 until 2012. The
closing date for applications is 27 March 2009.
Health Minister Lord Darzi said:
"People are giving us a clear message that they want greater
control over their healthcare - and rightly so. There is no doubt
that personal health budgets have the potential to deliver more
effective and responsive care for patients, but it is crucial that
they continue to uphold NHS values and tackle health inequalities.
"This pilot programme therefore marks the beginning of a
challenging yet exciting journey. We want it to build on the great
successes already achieved with individual budgets in social care
and see PCTs take an innovative approach to making personal
budgets work for healthcare."
Notes to editors:
* Personal health budgets: first steps is available to download
from the Department of Health website: http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Healthcare/OurNHSourfuture/DH_090018
* A personal health budget could work in many ways, including a
notional budget held by the commissioner or a budget managed on
the patient's behalf by a third party. The Department is
also seeking powers in the Health Bill, which is currently before
Parliament, to allow piloting of direct payments for healthcare.
* For media enquiries only, call the Newsdesk on 020 7210 5221.