WIREDGOV

Cllr David Fothergill, Chairman of the Local Government Association Community Wellbeing Board responded to Age UK analysis of avoidable hospital admissions, 

“Preventative care and support is an absolutely crucial part of our social care system. Delivering the right care at home doesn’t just reduce the need for hospitalisation, it also allows people to live an equal life with the dignity they deserve. Too often there is too much focus on the back door of hospitals, when we need just as much focus on preventing people entering through the front door in the first place.

“This is only possible with sufficient funding. We have consistently said that £13 billion is needed for social care so that its many pressures can be addressed and councils can deliver on all of their statutory duties including those related to preventing or delaying the onset of conditions which, if left unsupported, can lead to hospital admissions. This is the level of investment needed to ensure people of all ages can live an equal life and reduce the need for hospital treatment.”

“The crisis in the NHS is largely a crisis in older people’s preventive care, and if we’re to avoid another catastrophic winter in nine months’ time we need to act now to fix it” warns Age UK