Benefits and Concerns about a Personal Health Budget
The government says that Personal Health Budgets will help people to become more involved with the discussions and conclusions about individual healthcare. The conclusions suggest that the greater control and choice that Personal Health Budgets allow will make the PHB holder have an uplifted behavior about the care and support they receive. There are proven trials of PHBs suggest that some people have been able to use PHBs to choose the kind of treatments they want that are not usually available on the NHS.
Experiences in the Netherlands suggested PHBs can lead to increased costs and widespread abuse. Overall costings in the UK mounted up to £4000 per individual other than traditional arrangements but there is a possibility that it may not have led to better care. In the example, diabetes in the UK takes the position that PHBs are not suitable for individuals with complex conditions such as diabetes and may lead to a fragmentation of service with negative effects on care. The possibility is that in addition to the usual practice in the NHS, monies from PHBs are being spent on treatments that are not evidence-based.
Involving the NHS staff in assessing personal needs, the allocation of budgets and overseeing how these are spent, then reassessing when things change, maybe a lot for the individuals, so this is where Secure Personal Assistants come in. To take the pressure on the Personal Health Budget holder and to work with the NHS to sort out the needed care and to support the recruitment of personal assistants to provide the service of care needed to suit the individual.
The Personal Health Budgets are part of an increasing trend of poaching money from supposedly ring-fenced NHS funds and spending it on other providers, an overall trend that will look over the help and ability of the NHS to provide a fair and impartial health service to all. There are concerns that when introducing individual PHBs will have a massive impact on the national system provided by the NHS. The department of health appears to accept the Personal Health Budgets will lead to a reduction in the NHS provision and let companies and providers such as Secure Personal Assistants.
The government sources suggested that if patients want more and better care than their PHB allows they can purchase out of their own income, but this means that their PHB will decrease so they can fund using their personal money.
Ways of managing your Personal Health Budgets
You are told the amount of money there is for your care, you are in charge of how you want the money spent and if the ICB agrees, they arrange the services on their side which you have decided on
You are given a budget that a third party, such as Secure Personal Assistants looks after for you and helps you plan how to spend it. If your local ICB agrees with your plans, the third party sorts and buys the services for you
You are given the monies directly to buy and arrange your healthcare and support. Your local ICB will agree that your plans will meet your needs and you must communicate how you have spent the money.
For more information on how Secure Personal Assistants can support you and your Personal Health Budget get in contact today!