New Arthritis Research UK questionnaire on Personal Health Budgets

The National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society is working in partnership with Arthritis Research UK (AR UK) to ensure the views of people with Rheumatoid Arthritis are represented within the Government’ new Personal Health Budgets initiative, which is currently being piloted in some parts of England.

To try and understand perceptions about the new Personal Health Budget, Arthritis Research UK is hosting an online questionnaire asking people with musculoskeletal conditions, including Rheumatoid Arthritis, for their views. We are encouraging all our members and members of the public with Rheumatoid Arthritis to complete this survey.


Personal Health Budgets aim to give patients more control over how their health needs are met, with people taking part in the pilot allocated a sum of money each year, based on the their needs. Patients are then expected to develop a plan with their healthcare team on how to use the budget.

The money can be used to buy personal equipment, pay for carers, or try alternative therapies that may not be routinely available on the NHS. For example, someone with Rheumatoid Arthritis may choose to go to hydrotherapy or homeopathy, rather than receiving traditional NHS physiotherapy. Patients can spend the money themselves, or nominate someone to manage the budget on their behalf. Treatments provided directly by doctors, such as medication or operations, are not affected by this scheme.

Arthritis Research UK is interested in hearing whether you would want a personal budget and, if so, how you would do things differently if you did have one. They will use the information from the survey to campaign and share the findings with the Department of Health. This is on the understanding that all data provided through the survey will be presented anonymously and not be attributable to individuals.

You can fill in the Personal Health Budgets online survey by clicking on the following link: http://www.arthritisresearchuk.org/personal_budgets/survey.aspx