HFMA 2019: PHBs offer chance to transform lives and save money

Ms Kennedy (pictured) told the conference that her PHB, which funds her canine partner Kingston, has given her a new lease of life as well as saving the NHS significant funds. She acknowledged that some people have raised concerns about the risks around giving people more control over how care funds are spent.

However she said that her PHB had transformed her life, giving her back her independence and helping to change the way she sees herself and how others see her. ‘The choice and control are really important,’ she said.

Ms Kennedy was left with brittle epilepsy following a serious attack while working as a police officer and was later disabled, needing a wheelchair to get around. She has been in receipt of social care for 10 years, struggling with 12 different conditions, and described her original care plan as ‘not fit for purpose’ – leaving her in and out of hospital, visiting the GP several times a week and prone to depression.

The advent of PHBs and funding for her assistance dog has changed this. Kingston can respond to around 300 commands and can assist Ms Kennedy with important tasks such as getting dressed and washed as well as supporting her healthcare. Kingston can alert her to an epileptic seizure before it happens and predict her hypo and hyperglycaemic attacks. He can sound an alarm, fetch her hypo-kit and open the door for paramedics.

As well as reducing the direct support Ms Kennedy needs each day, Kingston has helped to save a fortune in services that she would previously have been accessing – including inpatient stays, ambulance journeys and trips to A&E.

Kingston saves £120,000 a year in care costs. And over the more than three years that Ms Kennedy has had Kingston, she estimates he has saved the NHS £837,000 in total.

‘Now everyday I’m planning for the future and every day is full of purpose, choice and control,’ she said.

She encouraged delegates to think outside the box when considering personalised care and the use of PHBs, which she said could change and save people’s lives. ‘Don’t be scared,’ she said. ‘Perhaps give it a timeframe but take a chance and the benefits and savings will flow.’