Cash boost for joined-up thinking on Forth Valley care

FORTH Valley has been awarded more than £3.6 million towards implementing Scottish Government proposals to integrate health and social care for adults.

Quicker access to care and staff and reduced delayed discharges are said to be among the benefits of the proposed new plan.

Public Health Minister, Shona Robison, said that in future councils and health boards should work more closely together under a “lead commissioning” model, in order to provide better services for adults – particularly older people.

She said: “Planning care for increasing numbers of older people in future is one of our biggest national challenges and doing nothing is not an option.

“There’s increasing recognition now that health boards and councils need to work together far more closely. The debate is about how and we believe that lead commissioning is the way forward – a view backed by Lord Sutherland, who carried out Scotland’s review of free personal care in 2008.

“We want to see health and social care for adults delivered in an integrated way by NHS and council social work staff working together to give a seamless service.

“Evidence from partnerships in England shows more older people can get quicker care packages, cuts in delayed discharges, reduced length of stay in acute hospitals and fewer unplanned emergency admissions to hospital.

“We will establish a lead commissioning implementation group, backed by £2 million for investment over the next financial year, to support partnerships around the country to continue to take the integration agenda forward.

Lead commissioning would see health boards and local government contract services from one another to focus on the needs of people rather than from the basis of traditional “supply” responsibilities – ie, what is a “health” service and what is a “social care” service, cutting through red tape and improving joined-up working.

In Forth Valley, local area partnerships will receive £3,634,000 – £593,000 for Clackmannanshire, £1,156,000 for Stirling, and £1,885,000 for Falkirk.