15.06.18
Over 15,000 delayed transfers of care down to delays in arranging care packages
The proportion of delayed transfers of care due to shortcomings in social care has decreased over the last year, according to the latest figures from NHS England.
In April 2018 there were 145,000 total delayed days, a decrease from the previous year, where there was a total of 176,900 delayed days.
Both the NHS and social care sectors have seen reductions in the volume of delayed transfers of care over the last year, with the proportion attributable to social care down to 30%, compared to 62.5% attributable to the NHS.
The main reason for social care delays in April was awaiting the introduction of care packages in patients’ own homes, which accounted for 15,500 delayed days - down from 24,000 in April 2017.
Previously, this had been responsible for a steadily increasing number of delays since April 2014, peaking in December 2016.
Responding to the figures, Izzi Seccombe, chair of the LGA’s community wellbeing board, said: “Councils have now reduced the average number of delayed transfers of care days attributed to social care since July 2017 by 33%.”
Once again she called for adult social care to be “put on an equal footing with the health service”, and urged councils to invest in effective prevention work to reduce the need for people to be admitted to hospital.
“To help tackle this, the government needs to address immediate pressures, plug the funding gap facing adult social care which is set to exceed £2bn by 2020, and reverse the £600m reduction in councils’ public health grants between 2015 and 2020 which will help to further reduce NHS pressures and costs increasing,” she added.
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