Personal Health Budgets

As part of 20 pilot schemes across the country, NHS Birmingham East and North is offering personal health budgets to COPD patients.

NHS Birmingham East and North’s pilot will concentrate on patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) registered with two GPs, Dr Paul Dudley and Dr Kumar Prasad, in Kingstanding. The pilot will run for three years from April 2010 and cover up to 30 patients.

The pilot will identify the benefits of personal health budgets, which give patients a set amount of money that they can spend on what care they decide is best for them.

People who have had a similar personal budget to pay for their care from social services have said that having more say on how money is spent on their care makes them feel more positive and involved, and it does not cost more than providing services in the usual way.

For more information, contact Sarah Millard on sarah.millard@benpct.nhs.uk 0121 380 0638.