NHS England announcement regarding integrated personal budgets

TLAP welcomes today's announcement by Simon Stevens that people with high levels of health and care needs will be offered the ability to control their own support using money from both NHS and social care budgets.

TLAP co-chairs Marjory Broughton and Clenton Farquharson, who represent people who use services, carers and families said:

"People are the best integrators of their care and support and personal budgets can be a way to achieve this. For people with support needs and carers, the divisions between health and social care can feel artificial and have a negative impact on their experience. For people with complex needs, it is increasingly imperative that health and social care organisations work together to deliver a seamless, person-centred service. It is vital to unify health and social care and ensure it is directed by the individual."

TLAP has been working with NHS England to look at how to build on learning from personal budgets in social care and personal health budgets. The new TLAP Partnership Agreement, launched in June, states:

"A personalised care and support system will not be successful if it remains separate to the NHS, deals with people's needs in silos and maintains a cliff edge between health and care. Integration that addresses the fragmentation between health and care without recognising the role people can play in managing their own needs and encouraging self-determination will also fall short. By bring our health and care systems closer together, we must ensure that with integration, comes personalisation. So that people can expect the same focus on their independence, the same regard for their dignity and wishes and the same opportunities to make choices and take control, whether they have a long term health condition or a social care need, a mental health problem or a learning disability."

You can read more about today's announcement on the NHS England website (opens new window).