This consultation document seeks views on the Government’s proposals for piloting direct payments for health care. This is part of the wider pilot programme to explore personal health budgets announced in High Quality Care For All.

 Personal health budgets are intended to help create a more personalised NHS, by giving people more control over their care. PCTs are already able to offer personal budgets that do not involve giving money directly to individuals. The Health Bill, which has now completed its main Parliamentary stages, would extend these options by providing power to allow direct payments, where the individual would be given the money to buy their own health care as agreed in a care-plan.

The consultation document describes how the Department of Health intends to use the power in the Bill to make regulations to enable pilot sites to test direct payments.

 Download consultation document (PDF, 292K)