Lansley: NHS cash has stabilised care eligibility thresholds

Councils have stabilised eligibility thresholds and put in place services to cut hospital admissions with money transferred from the NHS this year, health secretary Andrew Lansley said today.

By Jeremy Dunning on October 21, 2011 in Adults, Domiciliary care, Residential care

Councils have stabilised eligibility thresholds and put in place services to cut hospital admissions with money transferred from the NHS this year, health secretary Andrew Lansley said today.

Speaking today at the National Children and Adult Services conference, he said the bulk of the £648m due to transfer this year had gone into developing services that promoted independence and quality of life, and in keeping people at home.

Lansley said £128m has gone into developing early intervention and prevention measures and £50m on reablement, while £115m has been spent to help councils from feeling forced to increase eligibility criteria.

He added: “There was scepticism the money wouldn’t find its way, but the evidence we’ve got so far shows those fears not to have been realised.”

The money, which will flow from the NHS to councils every year until 2014-15, was announced in last year’s comprehensive spending review to give adult care some protection from 28% real terms cuts in government funding to councils from 2011-15.

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