Thousands of extra medically fit patients will be discharged from hospitals into community care settings, including care homes, over the coming weeks to free up hospital beds and reduce pressure on the NHS.
The Government is making available up to £200 million of additional funding to immediately buy short-term care placements to allow people to be discharged safely into the community. An additional £50 million is also being released to upgrade and expand hospitals, including new ambulance hubs and facilities for patients about to be discharged.
Independent Care Group chair Mike Padgham said “An extra £250m, whilst welcome, is not going to touch the surface in terms of tackling the overall crisis and my major fear is that it will get bogged down in bureaucracy.”