Social care funding breakdown outlined

THE director of Adult Social Services has outlined the allocation of the Improved Better Care Fund for adult social care in 2018-19.

In a report to Halton Borough Council, the director broke down how the £1,827,114 provided for Halton will be spent.

In the 2017 spring budget, the Chancellor announced an additional £2 billion of new funding for councils in England over three years to spend on adult social care services.

Between 2018-19, £674m will be provided to councils in England to be spent on schemes that help to meet adult social care needs, that will reduce the pressure on the NHS and that will stabilise the social care provider market.

The biggest beneficiaries will be care homes, as they will receive £527,000 worth of funding.

This will go towards the development and delivery of training and frameworks for staffing levels, and the development of a sector-led improvement model.

Another sizeable portion of the funding will be spent on a ‘Reablement First’ approach on discharge from hospital.

£353,000 will be spent on improving independence and quality of life after discharge from hospital.

£250,000 will go towards intermediate care bed capacity, while £150,000 will be spent on improved technology and telecare proactive response and £106,000 on development of ‘preventative options’.

£295,000 is to be invested into transforming domiciliary care, for those who still live in their own homes but who require additional support.

All this is aimed at reducing the number of people delayed in hospital.

The remaining £146,000 will be spent on reducing pressure on the NHS in general, ‘including supporting more people to be discharged from hospitals when they were ready by the funding of additional packages of care and placements.’