£8m for community care to support people to stay well at home and reduce pressure on hospitals

The Welsh Government has held back an extra £8 million this winter to support people at greatest risk to stay well, receive care at or close to home, and reduce pressure on hospitals.

This funding is designed to support vulnerable individuals and reduce hospital admissions.

The money will be used to increase community health and social care workforce capacity in the evenings and on weekends, including increasing the hours of community nurses and end-of-life care clinical nurse specialists.

Additionally, the funding will deliver services such as the assessment of those people living with frailty or other complex needs and agreeing a plan to support their wellbeing and independence at home, particularly during illness or following an injury. This care is tailored to each person’s specific needs and could include community nursing, reablement, rehabilitative therapy, mental health support, or a combination of these and other services.

In the last year nearly £145 million has been invested through the Welsh Government Regional Integration Fund, on projects delivered by health and social care partners to provide care closer to home.

The Health Minister Eluned Morgan saw first-hand how the Home First team based in Carmarthenshire is delivering for people in the Hywel Dda University Health Board area.

Eluned said: “What matters to older people in need of care and support is to be cared for in familiar surroundings with familiar people. They do not want to go to hospital unless this is really necessary.

“They are also less likely to lose their confidence and muscle strength, and less likely to pick up infections than in hospital.

“We are committed to driving change and transformation, and going further, faster to make sure more people can get the care and support they need at home or in their community. To enable this, learning about best practice needs to be shared across Wales.

“The Home First team in Carmarthenshire is a fantastic example of an integrated system which is delivering a radical, person-centred approach to wellbeing, care and support in the community. This is helping to avoid unnecessary admissions to hospital and reducing Pathways of Care Delays across the region.”