Responding to analysis by the Alzheimer’s Society that shows 1,400 people with dementia will be stranded in hospital over Christmas, Cllr Izzi Seccombe, Chairman of the LGA’s Community Wellbeing Board, said:
“These tragic stories of people fit to leave but stuck in hospital over Christmas reinforces our urgent call for genuinely new funding for adult social care in the Local Government Finance Settlement.
“We estimate adult social care faces an annual funding gap of £2.3 billion by 2020. It was hugely disappointing that the Chancellor found money for the NHS but nothing for adult social care in the Autumn Budget. Spending plans for the new NHS funding should be agreed with local government to ensure its most effective use locally.
"Councils are doing all they can to get people out of hospital safely and quickly and delays attributable to social care are down 7.2 cent from July to September. Councils are also playing a leading role in improving the lives of people with dementia and their families through all of the services they provide, including housing, transport, leisure services, social care, public health and community safety.
“However, fundamental changes to the way we fund adult social care are needed if we are to deliver a long-term sustainable system that works for everyone in society and meets their needs with safe and high-quality services.”