The Department for Health and Social Care has announced that North Yorkshire has been allocated £1,137,090 as part of the £40 million fund for local authorities to strengthen urgent and emergency care resilience and performance this winter.
Local authorities with integrated care systems identified by NHS England as experiencing the greatest challenges were invited to submit proposals for access to the fund, which will help speed up hospital discharge, boost social care provision and prevent avoidable hospital admissions.
The funding can be used to buy more services aimed at keeping people out of hospital, as well as more packages of home care, which allow people to leave hospital faster and build back their independence.
It can also fund an increase in the amount of specialist dementia support available in the community, bolster services like patient transportation provision, and increase the provision of technology to monitor people at home.
Measures such as this have resulted in a 9 per cent drop in the number of patients staying in hospital after they are ready to be discharged, when compared to October last year, freeing up space on wards and helping flow through the system.
Julian Smith said, “It is fantastic news as we head towards Christmas that North Yorkshire have been allocated this additional funding.
“Seasonal pressures can put real strain on our local services and our brilliant doctors, nurses and staff, so I’m really pleased that the Government have allocated this additional support to North Yorkshire.”
