New investment to support Worcestershire’s Adult Social Care workforce

Worcestershire County Council and NHS Herefordshire and Worcestershire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) have come together to create financial support, which can be used to assist home care providers, providing care for people with complex a variety of on-going care needs, who have been discharged home from hospital but who have a need for support to complete their recovery and to enable them to live as independent a life as possible in their own home. 

This can be helping to be mobile and to dress, with taking medication or preparing meals and many other examples.  This type of care can be needed on a short or longer term basis and can be one or two home visits a day, or 4 times per day, with 2 carers in attendance.

 This will improve the flow of patients through NHS services, increasing capacity within the county’s hospitals and enabling people to be cared for at home in a familiar setting, and closer to family and friends.

Councillor Adrian Hardman, Cabinet Member with Responsibilities for Adult Social Care, said: “This is fantastic news and will help to improve the care provided to people with some of the most complex needs in the county.

 “This funding will help to support care providers and in turn help to support local NHS services.

 “We’re aware of the challenges in recruiting and retaining staff, both locally and nationally and the rising costs of proving care at home, so this funding is a welcome boost for Worcestershire’s care provision moving forward.”

 The funding will see a boost of £1 million in year and £2.5 million from April 2022, recurring which will be paid by the NHS to support the provision of social care for the residents of Worcestershire and the recruitment and retention of a well-qualified and valued Social Care workforce. pay.

 Simon Trickett, Chief Executive of NHS Herefordshire and Worcestershire CCG, added: “The pandemic highlighted what the NHS, Council and our partners can achieve when we all work together - from delivering the vaccine programme to supporting those in our community who were shielding. We want to continue to build on these successes, joining up health and social care even more to deliver the best possible care across the county.

 “Working together to support our domiciliary care workers and care home providers is a key part of this. Supporting some of our most vulnerable people to return home safely - or to their community - when they’re medically ready to leave hospital means better care for them, as well as freeing up vital beds for other patients who need urgent hospital treatment.”  

 This funding has been agreed at time when major investment in Adult Social Care has been announced as part of the Council’s 2022/23 budget. The budget pledges a substantial increase in the resources available for Adult Social Care, with a total of £17.1 million to meet the demand led Adult Social Care pressures. £15 million of this will be invested to reflect the rising demand, complexity and cost of adult care in the community. This includes supporting significant pressures faced within the adult care market to retain and recruit workforce an issue that has been reported nationally.

This investment is funded by the increase in the Adult Social Care Council Tax Precept, the increase in Social Care Grant, the increase in the Improved Better Care Fund and from the new Market Sustainability and Fair Cost of Care Grant, together with a contribution from the Council and support from health partners.

The Council is continuing its focus on helping people live longer and in better health through prevention, reablement and support to live in their own homes including the development of assistive technology.