Coalition hands over extra cash so people can leave hospital sooner

By Claire Lomax 

Health chiefs in the Bradford district has been given an extra £1.5 million to be spent on social care to enable people to leave hospital earlier and receive better care at home.
The money is from a £150m investment announced by the coalition Government to alleviate the pressure on services over the busy winter period.
The one-off additional payment must be spent to enable local services to discharge patients from hospital more quickly and provide effective ongoing support for people in their own homes.
Bradford and Airedale Primary Care Trust has been allocated £1,447,722 and will work with Bradford Council to decide how best to use the additional funding.
A spokesman for NHS Airedale, Bradford and Leeds said: “We welcome this extra funding which will help us to make sure people get the right support when leaving hospital.
“Working closely with social care colleagues in Bradford Council, we are committed to providing the right services at the right time and in the right place, so that people leaving hospital can resume normal life as quickly as possible and stay independent.”
Bradford East MP David Ward welcomed the news and said the cash can be used to access various preventative services such as better home care support, crisis response teams and specialist equipment for people in Bradford.
Mr Ward said: “At this time of year it is of particular importance to do everything we can to make sure people are cared for at home in a safe and familiar environment, with their family and friends close by.
“The coalition is already doing the right thing and providing an extra £7.2bn in social care funding over the next four years. This extra cash for Bradford further shows how it recognises that we all prefer to be out of hospital, receiving care in our own home.”
Health Minister, Paul Burstow added: “It is absolutely crucial that the NHS and local authorities work together to help people leave hospital when they are ready. The benefits are on all sides – patients get to go home with the support they and their families need, and hospital beds are freed up.
“This money will help cut the delays in getting the equipment and adaptations that people can need to enable them to live independently at home – saving them from an unnecessary stay in hospital or going into residential care.”