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LGA responds to NAO report on emergency hospital admissions

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Responding to a National Audit Office report on reducing emergency hospital admissions, which cost the NHS £13.7 billion in 2015/16, Cllr Linda Thomas, Vice Chair of the Local Government Association’s Community Wellbeing Board, said:

“Councils are working closely with the NHS to avoid unnecessary admissions to hospital through better self-management of conditions, better community support and better advice and information.

“However, due to historic underfunding, the adult social care system is under significant pressure and community based services are being reduced, which is impacting on inpatient services. This reduced government funding means councils have had to spend less on key prevention work – £64 million less in the past year.

“The LGA has consistently argued that there needs to be a focus on preventing hospital admissions in the first place rather than focusing disproportionately on delayed discharges of care.

“The Government needs to give urgent funding to councils to invest in prevention measures, which will help to reduce costs to the public purse.

“Social care needs to be put on an equal footing with the NHS and government needs to address immediate pressures as part of the £2.3 billion funding gap facing social care by 2020.

“A whole-system approach to health and social care – which recognises that community based support, including adult social care, helps to prevent hospital admission – is needed to ensure that people are adequately supported through their patient journey.”

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