Cllr Ian Hudspeth, Chairman of the Local Government Association’s Community Wellbeing Board, responds to a Royal College of Physicians poll on winter pressures.
“Despite significant funding pressures, all the evidence points to councils and adult social care performing far better than the health service.
“Councils have used extra funding from the Government to reduce delayed days attributable to social care by 37 per cent since July 2017. The NHS has reduced its own delayed days by 13.6 per cent over the same period.
“This should incentivise government to fully fund our social care system, which faces a £3.6 billion funding gap by 2025.
“No council wants to see someone stay in hospital for a day longer than necessary and will continue to work hard with the local NHS amid unprecedented funding pressures to try and help people live independently and reduce demand on the health service.
“However, sustainable long-term funding for social care is the only way councils can prioritise the prevention work which is key to reducing the pressures on the health service and keeping people out of hospital in the first place. This is something that the Government must address in its Green Paper on social care and in the forthcoming Spending Review.”