“Councils must also be able to quickly access this funding, so they can build upon the progress they have made to date."
Responding to the Budget 2020 announcement of extra funding for the Transforming Care programme over the next three years, including for speeding up the discharge of individuals with learning disabilities or autism into the community, Cllr Ian Hudspeth, Chairman of the Local Government Association’s Community Wellbeing Board, said:
“People with complex needs should be able to live the lives they want to lead and this extra funding will support councils’ ambitions, working with the NHS locally, to help people stay in their own homes and communities, rather than be in hospital unnecessarily.
“Councils must also be able to quickly access this funding, so they can build upon the progress they have made to date.
“A sustainable funding settlement for adult social care, which recognises the longer-term costs to councils, is desperately needed as inpatient beds are reduced and we rightly focus on investing in personalised, quality and timely community services for people with complex needs.
“It is good that the Government has begun talks on finding a cross-party solution to the future of adult social care, which we at the LGA are happy to host and play our part in.”