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The effectiveness of personal budgets for people with mental health problems: a systematic review
Martin Webber1, Samantha Treacy, Sarah Carr
1International Centre for Mental Health Social Research, Department of Social Policy and Social Work, University of York , Heslington, York , UK .
Background:
Personal budgets are a key policy priority in adult social care in England and are expected to become increasingly important in the care of adults with mental health problems.
Aims:
This article systematically reviews evidence for the effectiveness of personal budgets for people with mental health problems across diverse outcomes.
Methods:
The review, conducted in 2013, used the EPPI-Centre methodology for conducting a systematic review informed by Social Care Institute for Excellence guidelines. Data were extracted from studies and combined using meta-synthesis.
Results:
Fifteen studies were included in the review which found mostly positive outcomes in terms of choice and control, quality of life, service use and cost-effectiveness. However, methodological limitations make these findings rather unreliable and insufficient to inform personal budgets policy and practice for mental health service users.
Conclusions:
Further high quality studies are required to inform policy and practice for mental health service users, which lags behind other adult social care groups in the use of personal budgets.
