Thirty one third, community and voluntary sector organisations have been working with NHS Engand and In Control as part of a national development programme on personal health budgets.
The programme's aim has been to help equip them with the knowledge and expertise to inform their local communities about personal health budgets.
Participating organisations have also been helping to support eligible people to discuss the option of a personal health budget with their local clinical commissioning group (CCG). This is helping to not just increase demand for personal health budgets but also ensure they are delivered well as people are beter informed about how their budget should work for them and what they should be expecting from them.
Julia Flack, Advocacy Worker, Age UK Peterborough said this about the programme:
"I find that the learning I have done has supported my work both as an advocate for AGEUK Peterborough and as a member of the multi-disciplinary teams for our local CCGs. I have attended all the development days and regional seminars which have helped me link theory to practice. I could not have supported the nurses and CCG staff without those sessions. I have found it personally fulfilling and I hope it enables people with complex and serious illness or disabilities to have more control and choice in their lives."
In addition to supporting the delivery of the programme, In Control has been involved in working with the organisations to produce a range of information material on personal health budgets. The material has been produced as a digital template which is being made available to all organisations so they can customise it will their local branding, organisation details together with local information on how CCGs are introducing personal health budgets in their area. An example of the template can be downloaded below.
NHS England has also recently announced that it will be funding a further year of this programme with a further 40 organisations being able to participate, in addition to five regional and a national mentor organisation. Successful applicants will be notified in the New Year.
Around 60,000 adults eligible for NHS Continuing Healthcare, and children 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 acting as 'mentors' to others taking part in the programme, these organisations are: Health Your Way, Compass Disability Services (Taunton) and Age UK Oxfordshire.
Personal Health Budgets: What Are They And How Do They Work?
