17.10.18
Council allocations for £240m social care funding revealed
The allocation of new £240m winter funding for local authorities to spend on adult social care has been announced.
The extra funding was announced by health and social care secretary Matt Hancock earlier this month in preparation of increased winter pressures and to free up beds by reducing delayed transfers of care.
General and acute bed occupancy reached 94.4% last winter, with an average of 20 trusts having over 99% occupancy – well above the recommended the levels – each day.
Letters were sent out to local authorities today informing them of the funding they will receive, with the money allocated based on the adult social care relative needs formula.
Kent CC will receive £6.1m, the largest amount for any council, while Essex, Lancashire and Birmingham CCs will all receive more than £5m each. Local authorities in Hampshire and Hertfordshire will receive more than £4m.
London is set to gain the most funding with a collective allocation of just over £37m.
Hancock said: “I have already provided funding for hospitals to make upgrades to their buildings to deal with pressures this winter, and I can announce that today I am making an extra £240m available to councils to pay for social care packages this winter to support our NHS.
“We will use this money to get people who don’t need to be in hospital, but do need care, back home, back into their communities, so we can free up those vital hospital beds, and help people who really need it, get the hospital care they need.”
The funding will go towards home care packages, reablement packages and home adaptions, all to help patients get out of hospital quicker.
The government has also already provided £145m for hospitals to upgrade buildings, with the ambition to provide an extra 900 beds this winter.
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