Personal budgets offered to people with continuing healthcare

Personal health budgets are allocations of money given to people to enable them to choose what they require to meet their health and wellbeing needs. This announcement builds on early evidence from a pilot programme which involves 1,300 people receiving personal health budgets for a range of conditions. NHS Continuing Healthcare is NHS funding for people living in non-hospital settings but who have the same needs or greater than people in hospital.

Personal budgets form a key part of the ongoing personalisation agenda. Alzheimer's Society Chief Executive Jeremy Hughes is chairing the personalisation work stream ahead of the government's white paper on social care.

Alzheimer's Society comment:

'Holding the purse strings can help people to have choice and control over their care needs. It is therefore promising to see personal budgets being rolled out to more people, including people with dementia who receive NHS Continuing Healthcare support.'

'However, conditions such as dementia often put incredible strain on families and carers. Unless the system is made easy to understand and people are properly supported, the complexities of personal budgets could become the straw that breaks the camel's back rather than the empowering tool they are intended to be. But if done in the right way, this could be a key milestone in the ongoing mission to create a health and social care system that works for everyone.'

Jeremy Hughes
Chief Executive
Alzheimer's Society

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Notes to editors:

• For more information on continuing healthcare, visit http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?documentID=399
• One in three people over 65 will die with dementia 
• Alzheimer's Society research shows that 750,000 people in the UK have a form of dementia, more than half have Alzheimer's disease. In just ten years a million people will be living with dementia. This will soar to 1.7 million people by 2051 
• Alzheimer's Society champions the rights of people living with dementia and the millions of people who care for them 
• Alzheimer's Society works in England, Wales and Northern Ireland 
• Alzheimer's Society supports people to live well with dementia today and funds research to find a cure for tomorrow. We rely on voluntary donations to continue our vital work. You can donate now by calling 0845 306 0898 or visiting alzheimers.org.uk
  
• Alzheimer's Society provides a National Dementia Helpline, the number is 0845 300 0336 or visit alzheimers.org.uk