Measures to reduce hospital admissions and enable timely discharge from hospital will only be viable if local authority services are "adequately and robustly resourced", the Local Government Association has claimed, writes Katie Leason.

In its written evidence to the health committee inquiry into delayed discharges, the LGA said that supporting people in the community requires significant medium and long term funding.

"The funding shortage that faces personal social services is not caused by the need to support people for the few weeks after they leave hospital, but by the need to fund the preventive services that prevent people from needing hospital in the first place," the evidence says

Local housing authorities and housing associations have an important role to play in helping to prevent inappropriate hospital admissions, claims the LGA, and housing staff have a key role in assisting with the appropriate and timely discharge from hospital, in organising adaptations which help people remain in their own home.

In addition, the underlying reasons for the growing shortage of personal social services staff must be addressed if authorities are to be able to deliver the services older people need to lead independent lives, according to the LGA.

The Association of Directors of Social Services told the committee that looking at delayed discharge in isolation is a mistake. In its written evidence the ADSS said that history and experience has led them to this view and that the pressures seen in this part of the acute health system are part of the pressures across related areas, with solutions only possible from a "whole system approach".

The ADSS made a number of recommendations, suggesting that the "proper fit" between health funding and local authority funding for social care be reconsidered urgently as a matter of short, medium and long term financial planning.

"There is no equivalent to the NHS Plan in the social care environment which would enable the comprehensive spending review to create a funding environment to support joint plans," it states.