Cash boost to help Northamptonshire social care projects

A £1.3m cash injection is set to help adults with social care needs, Northamptonshire County Council said.

The money, agreed by the county council’s cabinet at a meeting on Tuesday, will help fund eight new pilot projects focussing on extra prevention and early intervention services for adults with social care needs.

A further five projects costing £190,418 will be funded from the Northamptonshire Invest to Save (ISB) programme awarded to the county by the Government in 2007. The projects cover a wide range of areas including mental health, visual impairment and dementia.

They are hoped to contribute towards the council’s prevention strategy, which aims to reduce demand for long-term social care services in the future and to achieve a better quality of life for people with social care needs in the county.

It aims to help people to maintain their independence and well-being, reducing the risk of admission to hospital and residential care.

Councillor Robin Brown, county council cabinet member for health and adult social services, said: “This work is part of our ongoing efforts to adopt a new approach to the provision of adult social care in the county.

“By focusing on prevention and early intervention, we will be able to rely far less on admitting people to residential or nursing care but promote the independence, health and well-being of adults with social care needs living in Northamptonshire as well as helping them remain living in their own homes for as long as possible.