October 5 – Millions of pounds of NHS cash could be allocated to personal budgets for people with long-term health needs from next year, it was announced yesterday.

Some two billion pounds that is spent annually on continuing health care will be available for these budgets, health secretary Andrew Lansley said.

Currently more than 1,300 people deploy the budgets for needs which include end of life care, long term conditions, mental health and the programme known as Continuing Health Care.

The concept is widely used in social services to enable people to employ their own carers and respite services.

Mr Lansley said: “This is a solution which must come as part of a cultural shift for doctors, healthcare professionals, providers and patients which sees the patient as an equal partner in decisions about their care.

“It will personalise the NHS and provide more integrated high quality care across health and social care.”

The move was backed by the management organisation the NHS Confederation.

Chief executive Mike Farrar warned of “major practical and cultural barriers.”

He said: “In order to exploit the opportunities of personalised budgets we need to address the fears of clinicians that it may be unethical to allow people to choose treatments and services with no evidence base yet these are exactly the things many patients want.

“From the Department of Health down to the consulting room, we will need to work really hard on building the evidence base and changing attitudes so power is genuinely devolved to patients.”

* New moves to improve the availability of off-label drugs for rare diseases were announced yesterday.

The plans mean the Department of Health will commission expert assessments on off-label medicines with a view to helping doctors to decide whether to use them – and patients whether to agree to their use.

http://www.staffnurse.com/nursing-news-articles/millions-to-go-on-health-personal-budgets-4529.html