WORCESTERSHIRE County Council has received over £1.1million to speed up hospital discharge, boost social care provision and prevent avoidable hospital admissions.
Local councils within integrated care systems (ICSs) identified by NHS England as experiencing the greatest challenges with urgent and emergency care were invited to put forward proposals for access to the £40million fund.
This funding is in addition to £200million announced in September 2023 to boost resilience in the NHS and help patients get the care they need as quickly as possible this winter.
The funding can be used to buy more services aimed at keeping people out of hospital, as well as more packages of home care, which allow people to leave hospital faster and build back their independence.
Compared to this time last October, there has been a nine per cent fall in the number of patients staying in hospital after they are ready to be discharged, freeing up space on wards and helping flow through the system.
Redditch MP Rachel Maclean has welcomed the funding.
She said: “We know winter will be challenging for our NHS, which is why the Government started preparing earlier than ever before so my constituents can get the care they need.
“This £1.1million in targeted funding for Worcestershire will focus on speeding up hospital discharge and increasing social care provision, helping the NHS care for my constituents through the winter.”
