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NHS Northamptonshire - East Midlands SHA

Added: 19/02/2010
Updated: 05/11/2010


Key focus/scope

The Northamptonshire pilot, in conjunction with Nene Commissioning, will focus on people with continuing health care needs, mental health problems and those who have had a stroke.

Overview of pilot and its purpose

To provide individuals with a continuing healthcare or mental health need, or health needs after suffering a stroke, with an opportunity to take control, decide on the health outcomes they want to achieve, know the level of funding available and choose the services that best meet their needs according to their personal lifestyle to achieve their outcomes.

The outcomes the pilot hopes to achieve are:

  • to test and evaluate how and where personal health budgets may work
  • to understand the potential and/or evident health and wellbeing benefits for different patient groups
  • to test a new partnership relationship, combining professional judgement with the individual patient perspective, and whether this will enhance health outcomes and improve patient and staff experience/satisfaction
  • to assess if personal health budgets implementation reduces health inequalities
  • improve patient information and access to a wider range of support and services and a stimulation of the provider market
  • to analyse the choices made by patients using NHS resources to meet their individual needs
  • to test if personal health budgets make best use of public money and improve value for money; and to understand the role of personal health budgets in the wider integrated care agenda.

The pilot will focus on an initial cohort of 150 individuals recruited in the first year, 75 patients who receive a personal health budgets and 75 patients who are recruited to the comparison group.

Objectives of pilot

The pilot aims to:

  • provide individuals with more choice and control over their health and wellbeing needs
  • facilitate a cultural change in both individuals and professionals towards how outcomes can be achieved
  • stimulate flexibility and creativity towards personalisation of services
  • use personal health budgets user experiences to better inform and shape future commissioning intentions
  • seize the opportunity to be at the forefront of innovation and transformation.

This information has been provided by NHS Northamptonshire.