The NHS will be unable to meet councils' demands for increased
social care funding for learning disability services, a sector
leader has indicated.
Yvonne Cox, policy lead on learning disabilities for the NHS
Confederation, was responding to the concerns of
adults' services directors that money earmarked for transfer from
primary care trusts to councils would not be enough.
'Difficult and sensitive negotiations'
She said negotiations over budgets were "difficult and
sensitive" due to the pressures councils faced as demand for
learning disability services rose.
Under the Department of Health's Valuing People Now agenda, from
2009-10 money now allocated to PCTs to fund social care for people
with learning disabilities should be transferred to councils.
'Unexpected variations' in funding
The deadline for agreeing how much would be transferred was 31
March. But the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services
has warned of “wide and unexpected variations” in sums allocated
for transfer by PCTs.
Adass has called for an investigation into the funding, due to
pass to councils during the 2009-10 financial year, claiming it
would not be enough to implement the Valuing People Now programme,
whose goals include personalising care and improving employment
opportunities for people with learning disabilities.
Cox said PCTs should be passing over what they have historically
spent on social care for people with learning disabilities, but
added that this may not meet needs. She said the NHS was under
similar funding pressure to councils.
'Enormous anomalies'
"There are enormous anomalies in terms of how much is spent [by
the NHS] on learning disabilities," Cox said. "But you could look
at almost every clinical area you like and you will find anomalies
because there aren’t standard spend figures for any care group,
disease group or treatment.
“What tends to happen is when there isn’t enough money to go
round you can spend a lot of time arguing about that. I would
prefer that people actually got on and worked together and agree
they’ve got a shared problem.”
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18 May 2009
Central London