An NHS England programme with 28 voluntary and community sector organisations aimed at getting them 'geared up' for personal health budgets has started.
The national development programme started in June and all participating organisations have been awarded funding to help equip them with the knowledge and expertise to inform their local communities about personal health budgets.
The organisaions will also help support eligible people to discuss the option of a personal health budget with their local clinical commissioning group (CCG). The aim is that this will not just increase demand for personal health budgets but will ensure that they are delivered well as people will be better informed about how their budget should work for them and what service they should expect from the NHS.
People eligible for NHS Continuing Healthcare now have the 'right to ask' their CCG for a personal health budget and from October 2014, they will have the 'right to have' one. However most people don't know what a personal health budget is, let alone that they will soon be entitled to have one.
We know from recent evaluation of personal health budgets that they can help give people a better quality of life, better health outcomes and help keep them out of hospital. This programme will help ensure that as many people as possible are aware of personal health budgets, know how to get one, and importantly know what they can expect from the NHS.
In Control has been commissioned by the NHS to manage the grant programme on its behalf and to work alongside Peoplehub.
Organisations taking part in the programme include:
- Disability Action Islington
- Greenwich Association of Disabled People
- Real DPO Ltd
- Stroke Care
- Home Angels
- West Lancs Peer Support
- Trafford CIL
- ILS York CVS
- The Carers Resource
- Knowsley Disability Concern
- HALE Active Independence
- FLAG (For Local Advice and Guidance
- City Health Care Partnership CIC
- Neurological Alliance TVDNY
- Mosaic (Leicestershire)
- Langstone Society
- Age UK Peterborough
- EDCP
- Autism West Midlands
- Grapevine
- Suffolk Family Carers
- WECILS
- My Support Broker
- Spectrum CIL CIC
- Living Options (Devon)
- The FED CIL
In addition to the above, a further three organisations have been selected to act as 'mentors' to others taking part in the programme, these organisations are:
- Health Your Way
- Compass Disability Services (Taunton)
- Age UK Oxfordshire
