05.12.19
LGA responds to report on lack of social care
Age UK has today (Dec 5) published a report on the effect of a lack of social care, citing that it has resulted in 2.5 million lost bed days in the NHS between this election (Dec 12) and the previous one (June 8 2017).
The report explains that when someone is medically fit to be discharged from hospital but is forced to stay as a result of delayed transfer of care, this is recorded as a ‘delayed’ day.
While the report doesn’t contain an age breakdown of affected patients, they are typically older people.
The new analysis also highlights that the ‘social care delayed discharges’ have cost the NHS £587m, and is calling on the next government to make social care a main domestic policy priority with ‘substantial financial footing’.
Responding to the report Cllr Ian Hudspeth, Chairman of the Local Government Association’s Community Wellbeing Board, said:
“No council wants to see someone stay in hospital for a day longer than necessary.
“Our own analysis show that thanks to the hard work of councils’ social care teams, the NHS has seen delayed transfers of care attributable to social care fall by more than half a million over the past two years.
“This is clear evidence of the human value of investing in the social care services which support millions of people every day and the vital role it can play in alleviating pressure on the health service.
“The next government needs to bring forward substantive proposals for the future of adult social care as soon as possible, to reassure all those who use and work in this vital service.
“We also need an honest debate about what the future of care and support should be and how it should be funded in the long-term.”
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