Responding to the Government framework published today which
includes how the £2 billion extra funding for social over the
next three years should be spent, Cllr Linda Thomas, Vice Chair
of the Local Government Association’s Community Wellbeing Board,
said:
“The £1 billion of additional social care funding this year,
followed by £674 million in 2018/19 and £337 million in 2019/20,
represents vital funding needed for services caring for the most
vulnerable older and disabled people in our communities over the
next three years.
“Recent NHS England and NHS Improvement correspondence to NHS
providers has encouraged local health colleagues to pursue 'their
share' of the £2 billion to free up capacity in NHS acute
services, with an explicit reference to the funding representing
2,000 to 3,000 more hospital beds. This is unhelpful and
misleading.
“The Policy framework for the Better Care Fund, including the
additional funding for social care, reiterates what was announced
in the Budget by clearly stating that the funds can be used to
meet adult social care need more generally and to help stabilise
the care market as well as on measures to support hospital
discharge.
“Councils and NHS partners will continue to work together to
ensure people are discharged from hospital promptly and safely
when a hospital stay is necessary.
“However, it is important to remember that social care is about
much more than just freeing up hospital bed space. It is about
providing care and support for people to enable them to live more
independent, fulfilled lives, not just older people, but those
with mental health conditions, learning and physical
disabilities. Hospitals account for only one in five adult social
care referrals, and so this new funding may best ease pressure on
NHS and council services by being directed at addressing wider
pressures, such as reversing planned cuts to adult social care
provision, which would exacerbate pressure on local health
services.
“Local councils and their NHS partners know where the pressures
are in their communities better than anyone else. It is important
that Clinical Commissioning Groups now work closely with councils
to ensure Health and Wellbeing Boards can quickly agree plans to
spend the extra funding so that councils can get on with
implementing the measures most needed in their area.
“The extra funding announced in the Budget is just a starting
point and short-term pressures remain. To close the funding gap
still facing social care by 2020 and beyond additional funding
needs to be recurrent and put into local government baselines.
“It is critical that the Government's Green Paper on social care
finds a long-term solution that reforms and fully funds our care
system. This is essential if we are to ensure people can live
independent, fulfilling lives in the community, and avoid
widespread failure amongst organisations providing care.”
