CSIP finds North-South split on learning disabilities

The Care Services Improvement Partnership has revealed a North-South split in council spending on learning disabilities services.

Southern authorities tend to spend a larger proportion of money on residential and nursing care services, a CSIP study of all 150 English councils found.

The discussion paper on how councils spend their money in learning disabilities services was carried out as part of CSIP’s Getting to grips with the money initiative, designed to help authorities control adult care spending pressures.

Thirty-eight councils, all but five of which were in London, the South East, the South West and the West Midlands, spent over 56% of their budgets on residential and nursing care.

The same number, all but eight of which were based in the North East, North West and Yorkshire and the Humber, spent less than 35% of their budgets on institutional care, spending almost four times as much as the other group on supported living and home care.

CSIP said the evidence “appears to support the case for a big shift in spending away from residential and nursing care”.

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