20.01.12
Staffordshire to see health and social care integration
Health and social care services in Staffordshire are set to improve due to changes estimated to save £30m every year as the partnership between Staffordshire County Council and Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent NHS Partnership Trust is confirmed.
The partnership aims to deliver easy to understand and efficient care, as 1,000 social care staff and a budget of £153m are transferred from the council to the Trust.
Integration aims to make the best use of hospital and community beds, reduce delays in transferring patients from hospital back to their home and mean fewer people have to be admitted to hospital in a rush.
Additionally it should reduce the use of residential care and increase the amount, quality and safety of care delivered in people's homes.
County councillor Matthew Ellis, cabinet member for Wellbeing, told the Tamworth Herald: “This decision changes the face of health and social care services in the county and is a significant step in the journey to join up wider healthcare services and transform the quality of care for patients.
“The integration will reduce duplication, improve effectiveness and create the professional freedom required to meet care needs in the most efficient way possible.
“For citizens it will mean less confusion and a faster, smarter, local service on their doorstep.”
The integration will be formally confirmed by the Department of Health next week.
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