According to details of Department of Health
NICE guidance will ‘still apply where relevant’ but only alcohol, tobacco, gambling, debt repayment and GP/emergency services are specifically excluded from direct budgets in the guidance.
The document says everyone ‘capable of managing a direct payment’ will be given one as part of the pilots of personal health budgets announced in 20 PCTs last month.
The pilots are expected to involve thousands of GPs, who will help patients draw up a care plan, allocate the money they are given and review the plan regularly.
It seems to be some confusion. On the one hand they have been quite clear that the NHS should use resources based on evidence-based guidance developed by NICE, but there seems to be some confusion about the degree of flexibility patients will have.
Sourse: http://www.pulsetoday.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=35&storycode=4124159&c=2
