Personal health budgets lack transparency, health department finds

Patients in England who receive a personal health budget are being left in the dark over how much money they are going to get, a Department of Health report concludes.

The report, which was based on interviews with 58 patients in 17 of the 20 primary care trusts taking part in the pilot scheme, said that the levels of personal health budgets, which aim to give patients more choice and control over their care, and how they had been calculated were not clear.

“A basic principle of personal budgets is that holders should know the approximate level of their budget so they can plan its use appropriately,” said the report.

However, it …