Cllr Linda Thomas, Vice Chair of the Local Government Association’s Community Wellbeing Board, responds to a report by the Nuffield Trust and the Health Foundation on an increase in emergency hospital readmissions.
“The fact that there has been a sharp rise in emergency readmissions for potentially preventable conditions is extremely concerning and should reignite the focus on investing in community-led, cost effective prevention services.
“Adult social care is essential to reducing pressures on the NHS - since July 2017, transfer of care delays due to social care have fallen by about 30 per cent - and needs to be put on an equal footing to the health service if delayed transfers of care are to be reduced further.
“Councils are keen to continue to liaise with their NHS partners locally but need urgent funding to invest in effective prevention work to reduce the need for people to be admitted to hospital in the first place.
“Government needs to address immediate pressures impacting on the system today as part of the funding gap in adult social care which is set to exceed £2 billion by 2020 and ensure its Green Paper delivers a water-tight solution to the long-term sustainability of the sector.
“Reductions in public health grants to councils also need to be reversed by the Government, which will help to further reduce NHS pressures and costs increasing.”
Notes to editors
- The public health grant to councils has been cut by £600 million from 2015/16 to 2019/20.