Laura Sharman 06 August 2021

Call to invest £600m to avoid 'bed blocking' this winter

Call to invest £600m to avoid bed blocking this winter image

Council and health leaders are calling for £600m to free up thousands of hospital beds this winter.

In a letter to ministers, the organisations warn people who are ready to be discharged from hospital risk having to stay longer than needed, if vital additional funding is not confirmed this month.

In April, the Government invested £600m in community services to allow people to be discharged from hospital and treated in or close to their homes. The new approach guarantees four weeks of care support for each discharged person.

Figures shows this approach freed up 30,000 hospital beds and 4,000 frontline nurses.

However the organisations, which include the Local Government Association, warn these services will need to scaled back or stopped altogether if the discharge to assess funding isn’t matched for the next six months from October.

Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said: 'The interaction of health and care systems is complex and can be controversial, but this is an approach that has been proven to work. With the NHS facing a mammoth backlog of care and with the government committed to unveiling a comprehensive social reform package in the autumn, this is surely not the time to be cancelling an initiative at the boundary of health and care that has worked so well.'

The letter has been signed by the NHS Confederation, NHS Providers, Healthwatch England, the British Red Cross, the Local Government Association, and Age UK.

SIGN UP
For your free daily news bulletin
Highways jobs

Head of Integrated Enforcement

London Borough of Richmond upon Thames and London Borough of Wandsworth
£72,468 - £88,374
Head of Integrated Enforcement... Wandsworth, London
Recuriter: London Borough of Richmond upon Thames and London Borough of Wandsworth

Registration Service Officer (Frontline)

Essex County Council
£25959.0000 - £28621.0000 per annum
Registration Service Officer (Frontline)Fixed Term, Full Time£25,959 up to £28,621 per annum Location
Recuriter: Essex County Council

ECC Intern

Essex County Council
Up to £0.0000 per annum
ECC InternFixed Term, Full Time£25,959 per annum Location
Recuriter: Essex County Council

Advanced Skills Worker

Essex County Council
£34353.0000 - £38035.0000 per annum
Advanced Skills WorkerPermanent, Full Time£34,353 up to £38,035 per annum Location
Recuriter: Essex County Council

Head of Property, Assets & Major Projects

Fenland District Council
Renumeration package £74 – 78k
This is a rare opportunity to combine strategic leadership, commercial asset management March, Cambridgeshire
Recuriter: Fenland District Council
Linkedin Banner