The coalition government has outlined its vision for personalised social services in its response to the Health Select Committee Report on Social Care.

“Individual budgets were piloted by the Department of Health in 2006-07 and included various disability funding streams and social care resources covering older people and people with disabilities. Personal budgets cover social care resources only.

We want personal budgets to increasingly become the norm in social care. Greater alignment with personal health budgets, in time and considering those who could receive most benefit, could have positive implications for service users in terms of extending choice and control, while recognising potential links between their health and care needs. However, it is important to consider the impact on joint working and integration in delivery of budgets to users. Whilst at an individual level both budgets
may be combined, the funding streams for health and social care will remain separate and allocated through the NHS and the local authority.

In designing and agreeing the different health and social care plans, care will need to be taken that a joint approach is adopted to ensure plans are as complementary and cost effective as possible. As this policy develops further we will consider what appropriate mechanisms will need to be in place to allow combined budgets to be as effective as possible. “

Source Government Response to the Health Select Committee Report on  Social Care (Third Report of Session 2009-10) to the Health Select Committee; Page 17