The Department of Health is allocating an additional £162 million to health and care services specifically to help people leave hospital more quickly and settle back into their homes – preventing unnecessary admissions to hospital.
The funding will bring forward the plans being put in place by health and local authorities to work together using NHS funding to support social care, as announced in the spending review. It will also enable local services to respond to pressures this winter.
Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said: “It’s really important, particularly at this time of year, that we help people to leave hospital as quickly as they can, when they are ready. The latest figures show that 2,575 beds are unavailable due to delayed transfers of care.
“Older people often need particular support after a spell in hospital to settle back into their homes, recover their strength and regain their independence. This money will enable the NHS and social care to work better together for the benefit of patients.”
The money will be allocated to Primary Care Trusts, for them to transfer to councils to spend on social care support. Primary Care Trusts and local authorities will decide how best to use the additional funding to make the greatest impact on relieving additional pressures on hospitals over the winter period.
Examples of the kinds of services that could be invested in are:
- additional short-term residential care places, or respite and intermediate care;
- more capacity for home care support, investment in equipment, adaptations and telecare;
- investment in crisis response teams and other preventative services to avoid unnecessary admission to hospital;
- further investment in reablement and rehabilitation services, to help people regain their independence and reduce the need; and
- for ongoing care. PCTs and councils have already received additional funding this year to expand reablement services.
There will be further long-term investment in occupational therapists, who are vital to reablement and rehabilitation services, and homecare equipment services which support people to live at home independently.
The extra £162 million funding is in addition to the previously announced £70 million that the NHS will spend this year on reablement services, and there will be a further provision of £300 million by 2014-15 for continued investment in these vital front line services.
Care Services Minster Paul Burstow said: “It is absolutely crucial that the NHS and local authorities work together to help people leave hospital when they are ready. The benefits are on all sides – patients get to go home with the support they and their families need, and hospital beds are freed up.
“This money will help cut the delays in getting the equipment and adaptations that people can need to enable them to live independently at home – saving them from an unnecessary stay in hospital or going into residential care.”
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