Oral Answers to Questions

Andrew Lewer Excerpts

Tuesday 19th June 2018 Commons Chamber

[Sir Henry Bellingham (North West Norfolk) (Con)]

8. What steps he is taking to encourage the adoption of personal health and care budgets.

[Andrew Lewer (Northampton South) (Con)]

18. What steps he is taking to encourage the adoption of personal health and care budgets.

[The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Mr Jeremy Hunt)]

I know that the thoughts of the whole House are with the families affected by the terrible atrocity a year ago.

Personal health budgets have a transformative effect on people with very complex health needs, and we plan for 50,000 to 100,000 more people to benefit from them by 2021.

[Mr Hunt]

Absolutely, and not just to North West Norfolk, but to the whole country. We are currently consulting on giving a right to personal health budgets to people with the most complex health needs. That would be about 350,000 people and would include anyone with a continuing NHS need combined with a mental health need, a learning disability, autism or PTSD. Obviously, it would be hugely significant if we were able to proceed with that.

[Andrew Lewer]

Will the Minister ensure that the long-term NHS plan puts a major emphasis on empowering patients through the wider availability of personal budgets? May I also join my hon. Friend the Member for North West Norfolk (Sir Henry Bellingham) and make a pitch for my local area of Northampton for one of the next wave of pilots?

[Mr Hunt]

Absolutely, and technology will have a big role, because this year we intend all NHS patients to be able to access their health records through an app. That will be extremely empowering, but my hon. Friend is right that giving people with long-term conditions control over their health and care destiny is a potentially huge leap forward.