SOLIHULL Council is set to be handed £727,297 to support residents who are ready to leave hospital be discharged.
The funding has been allocated to the authority as part of the Adult Social Care Discharge Fund from the Department for Health and Social Care in a bid to free up hospital beds at a time when bed occupancy is high, and to improve capacity for social care.
In addition, a further £5.063 million will be allocated to Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care Board (ICB).
This funding can be used flexibly on the interventions that best enable the discharge of patients from hospital to the most appropriate location for their ongoing care.
Solihull MP, Julian Knight, said: “The ability to discharge people from hospital when they are medically ready is vital for the health of patients and the capacity of the Health Service.
“I welcome this funding and look forward to working closely with the Local Authority to ensure this money is spent in the best interests of the people of Solihull.”
Welcoming the news Councillor Tony Dicicco, cabinet member for Adult Social Care and Health at Solihull Council, said: “We are in active discussions this week with NHS colleagues, primary care, independent social care providers and the voluntary sector to maximise the use of all the available funds.
“Our aim is to target the money on additional services that will enable more people to leave hospital to a place for further recovery, or back home with extra support.
Proposals are being developed at speed. Once agreed between partners, the spending plan needs to be submitted to NHS England by December 16.
“Once our local plan is agreed, we can begin to spend the funds on the extra capacity to best support our residents and ease pressure on our hospital beds.”
