Wes Streeting said spending NHS resources “more effectively though social care” will be better for patients and deliver better value for taxpayers.
At present, social care is most often paid for by councils, but thousands of people at any one time are stuck in NHS hospital beds even though they are fit to be discharged. This is because of delays in arranging social care in local communities, finding spaces in care homes, or difficulties in arranging other care.
At any one time, around one in seven hospital beds are taken up by people who could be cared for elsewhere. Inadequate social care in the community also puts pressure on the NHS, such as through increasing hospital admissions and GP visits.
Speaking to the BBC's Panorama programme, Mr Streeting suggested he will increase NHS spending on social care, but did not say by how much. He said: “I want to spend more of our resources through social care, because it delivers better outcomes for patients and better value for taxpayers, so I’m convinced that we can spend NHS resources more effectively through social care.”
As for the figures involved, he said: “Well, these sor...
At present, social care is most often paid for by councils, but thousands of people at any one time are stuck in NHS hospital beds even though they are fit to be discharged. This is because of delays in arranging social care in local communities, finding spaces in care homes, or difficulties in arranging other care.
At any one time, around one in seven hospital beds are taken up by people who could be cared for elsewhere. Inadequate social care in the community also puts pressure on the NHS, such as through increasing hospital admissions and GP visits.
Speaking to the BBC's Panorama programme, Mr Streeting suggested he will increase NHS spending on social care, but did not say by how much. He said: “I want to spend more of our resources through social care, because it delivers better outcomes for patients and better value for taxpayers, so I’m convinced that we can spend NHS resources more effectively through social care.”
As for the figures involved, he said: “Well, these sor...
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Leicester Mercury (Digital) - 1 Issue, March 25, 2025