Hospital discharged get cash boost
People leaving hospital will be able to receive help and support as they settle back into their new homes, Andrew Lansley has announced.
The health secretary told delegates at the Conservative party conference in Birmingham he had found £70 million to assist around 35,000 people in the next seven months.
The packages would extend to daily visits and support for a period of up to 30 days in some cases.
“From next April, the NHS will have new responsibilities for people’s care needs for 30 days after they leave hospital,” Mr Lansley said.
“This new funding will mean people will benefit right now, and around 35,000 will start to get the help and support they need.
“Re-ablement will give opportunities for the NHS and councils, by working together locally, to make savings.”
Mr Lansley argued the move would lead to savings by reducing the number of emergency readmissions back into hospital, which increased by 50% in the ten years from 1998.
“Services of this kind have shown dramatic benefits in supporting people and cutting readmission to hospital,” he added.
“Our objective is for people to be once again independent, in their own homes.”
The Department of Health is one of only two government departments to have their budgets protected from the comprehensive spending review’s austerity drive.
Mr Lansley’s white paper reforms, which propose transferring managerial responsibilities to GP consortia, are currently under consultation.
“As a party and as a coalition government, we have made our choice: to cut the deficit, not the NHS,” he concluded.
