Thousands of patients to get personalised NHS budgets

I think it's a good idea. I know two people with adult children with complex disabilies including learning disorders and these budgets have allowed them to arrange tailor made care for their children. Otherwise, they'd have to put up with the 'bog-standard' care offered by their local NHS/Social services, which, given their complexities, wouldn't be at all adequate.

As a general tenet, families of patients know best what they need, not the NHS, because they live with them all the time.

I don't think 'direct payments' which is what they are called up here anyway are a new thing. Some people I know like them but others find the admin around managing them difficult. It's a lot of responsibility for some families but I know several organisations have been set up to do this for them. All seems unnecessarily complex.

I don't disagree at all janeainsworth with the principle of the clinicians and health and social care staff being involved - in my experience that's exactly what they have been doing for years.

The Tories however have an established track record of underfunding the NHS and Social Care - this just seems to me to be yet another experiment aimed at absolving ministers of their responsibility and increasing privatisation.

railman I think this is part of the process of integrating health and social care.
The principle that outcomes are better when patients are involved in the clinical decision-making process is well established.
People with dementia or who otherwise lack capacity to make informed consent, will have people, usually family, acting on their behalf.
I know a young man who has a personal budget for his social care and it has worked well for him and his family, as they feel they are in control and not subject to the whims of social services.
Don’t rubbish something just because the Tories thought of it.