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Government boosts investment in community care

Government boosts investment in community care

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has announced plans to pay for at least 18,000 additional care workers in the community.

The move will be financed by a new injection of investment into the Better Care Fund. Originally set up in June 2013 at an annual value of £3.8 billion, additional local investment has boosted the fund to £5.3 billion each year.

The Better Care Fund will be used to join up local health and care services, so that GPs, community nurses and care workers can provide better care closer to people’s homes.

Out of approximately 18,000 roles that will be supported by the Fund, there will be social workers, occupational therapists, care navigators, doctors and nurses – all deployed based on local needs and delivering care outside of hospital.

Among the benefits for patients are seven day care services, a named professional who joins up different services around people’s needs, and joint assessments so services work together to build a care plan from the start.

The Department of Health estimates that the new focus on community-based care will results in 163,000 fewer stays in A&E and total savings of £532 million for health and care services. It also predicts that 12,000 more older people will still be at home three months after being discharged from hospital, while 2,000 more people are prevented from being admitted into a care home.

The new plans have been made public in response to NHS England’s ‘Five Year Forward View’, which called for further integration of health and social care.

Announcing the plans, Mr Hunt said: “Too many families experience being passed from pillar to post, between the NHS and their council, endlessly repeating their stories along the way. By breaking down barriers within the system, these plans will allow staff to work together to prevent people from becoming ill in the first place, meaning our hospitals can focus on treating the patients who really need to be there.”

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