The number of delayed transfer of care (DTOC) days attributed to social care has dropped by 40% since June last year, according to official figures.
The total number of DTOCs attributed to social care for June 2018 was 40,209 – a reduction of 26,000 days compared to June 2017 – figures published by NHS England yesterday showed.
The figures revealed that the NHS also managed to reduce the number of delayed transfers of care days in the last year.
There were a total of 134,300 DTOCs in June 2018 – a decrease from the 77,900 delayed days recorded in June 2017.
In June this year, 62.6% of all delays were attributed to the NHS, 29.9% to social care and the remaining 7.4% jointly to both organisations.
Same funding needed for social care
Responding to the figures, LGA Wellbeing Board chairman Cllr Izzi Seccombe said that to ease pressures on the NHS, adult social care should be given the same importance as healthcare.
She added: ‘Councils need urgent funding to invest in effective prevention work to reduce the need for people to be admitted to hospital in the first place.’
The LGA estimated that the funding gap for adult social care is likely to exceed £3.5bn by 2025.
The delayed green paper
The LGA recently published its own green paper on adult social care, in a bid to kick-start a ‘nationwide debate’ on how to provide for it in the long run, ahead of the Government’s own green paper to be published later this year.
Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) vice president Julie Ogley said: ‘By kicking the social care green paper into the autumn, the Government has further delayed providing not just funding, but much-needed answers on how we are going to plan to look after us when we are older or disabled.’
She added that NHS figures show that social care staff worked with dedication to keep DTOCs lower than at this point last year despite the ‘significant pressures’ they now face.
‘Urgent and interim funding’ should be made available in the meantime to help release pressure on the system and look after people in their care, Ms Ogley added.
