Patients with the most chronic care needs are to be offered the chance to take charge of their own support through personal health budgets, care and support minister Norman Lamb has announced.
Following a pilot scheme, Lamb has announced £1.5m of extra funding to roll personal budgets out to up to 56,000 patients who are already enrolled in the NHS Continuing Care programme, as well as others who clinicians feel would benefit.
He said: "The evaluation shows that those with the greatest needs benefit most from personal health budgets. That's why we are giving people on NHS continuing healthcare the chance to get one first. And I hope more people who could benefit will be given the option of one."
The Department of Health has developed the personal budgets in collaboration with joint delivery partner In Control, whose chief executive, Julie Stansfield, pointed to the "strong evidence" of the benefits of enabling people to self direct their health support.
