Personal health budgets (PHBs) were introduced in October 2014 for adults receiving NHS continuing healthcare, and children receiving continuing care. They aim to give people who require long term healthcare support more control and choice over how they receive their care and who provides it.
NHS England chief executive, Simon Stevens, talked about the changes as a new form of “radical, people powered commissioning of health and social care”. Personalisation sits at the centre of this approach, in a move that appears to veer away from a more paternalistic model of care provision, to one driven by individual choice and control.
At the broadest level, giving people control over a budget to buy the services they need is a very new way of helping people to get the outcomes they want from the NHS. The big question, for individuals, authorities, and care providers alike, is how do we ensure that those who choose to take up personal health budgets are getting the right support to achieve their desired outcomes?
As a provider of complex care in the home to clients with a range of conditions, spinal injury included, we take a holistic, outcomes based approach to care centred around personalisation. We work closely with our clients to put in place care that not only addresses their clinical needs, but also supports their individual goals and aspirations.
It’s a balance, between enabling choice, control and independence, whilst ensuring high standards of quality care delivery, achievement of outcomes, and safeguarding the individual.
Maintaining this balance, and successfully providing complex clinical care, hinges on the strong relationship between a client and their team of personal care assistants. For in our experience, it is in the interaction between client and carer that the concept of ‘person-centred care’ really comes to being.
This can of course be achieved as part of a PHB, however maintaining nurse-led clinical input, care-planning and competency training, as well as business processes such as recruitment, payroll and pension provision can be a challenge.
Taking up a PHB may be the right decision for some people; equally, we have also seen a number of clients who have experienced PHBs return to us. Just over a year after their introduction, it’s arguably too early to measure their relative impact or success.
If you’re thinking about opting for a PHB and wish to employ your care assistants directly, we can provide the wraparound support, through clinical input, to ensure you are receiving high quality care, and support with any back-office services.
Find out more about PHBs, funding, and choosing the right care for you at: www.completecare.co.uk/resources-and-advice or get in touch with one of the team. Phone: 0333 121 5301, email: enquiries@completecare.co.uk
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