The Welsh Government is investing a further £8m this winter to help people avoid hospital admissions, reduce pressure on the NHS and deliver care closer to home.
The funding will be used to increase the capacity of the community health and social care workforce on evenings and weekends – this includes more hours for community nurses and end-of-life clinical nurse specialists.
Money will also be ringfenced so those living with frailty or other complex needs can be properly assessed, before an action plan on how to support their independence at home is agreed.
These plans are based on individual needs and could feature a range of services, including:
- Community nursing
- Reablement
- Rehabilitative therapy
- Mental health support
On a visit to Carmarthenshire in the Hywel Dda University Health Board area, health minister Eluned Morgan saw the award-winning Home First team.
She said: “What matters to older people in need of care and support is to be cared for in familiar surroundings with familiar people. They do not want to go to hospital unless this is really necessary.
“They are also less likely to lose their confidence and muscle strength, and less likely to pick up infections than in hospital.”
The last year has seen the Welsh Government invest almost £145m in projects that aim to bring care closer to home.
Eluned Morgan continued: “We are committed to driving change and transformation, and going further, faster to make sure more people can get the care and support they need at home or in their community. To enable this, learning about best practice needs to be shared across Wales.
“The Home First team in Carmarthenshire is a fantastic example of an integrated system which is delivering a radical, person-centred approach to wellbeing, care and support in the community. This is helping to avoid unnecessary admissions to hospital and reducing Pathways of Care Delays across the region.”
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