Lincolnshire County Council welcomes adult care boost - but a sustainable funding plan is needed

Lincolnshire County Council has welcomed the Government's announcement today to boost funding for social care by £240m nationally, but senior councillors and directors have stressed that more is needed to sustain services.
Adult social care facilities will be reviewed by Northampton borough councillorsAdult social care facilities will be reviewed by Northampton borough councillors
Adult social care facilities will be reviewed by Northampton borough councillors

Councillor Patricia Bradwell, executive member for adult care, said: “Whilst this additional funding is very welcome along with the recognition more money for adult social care is necessary, this is a temporary measure to a social care.

“We urge the Government to publish a long term sustainable funding plan, and we eagerly await the publication of it’s green paper on adult social care.”

Glen Garrod, executive director for adult care and community health and wellbeing at Lincolnshire County Council, said: “The announcement today by the Government to support adult social care is most welcome. For us in Lincolnshire this will mean an additional and much needed £3.3m to balance the extra funding for winter announced for the NHS last month. The county council attaches great importance to ensuring people can leave hospital as soon as is safe. It is why adult social services here is one of the best performers in the country for keeping delays to a minimum.

“We would also want to use this opportunity to refocus some attention on what is happening at the front-door of the hospital to see what can be done, working with our health colleagues, to ensure people are not going to hospital due to a lack of support in the community.

Melanie Weatherley, Chair of Lincolnshire Care Association, added: “We welcome the additional funding and we are looking forward to working with our colleagues at Lincolnshire County Council to help people leave hospital as soon as they are ready.

“We do, however, feel this short-term emergency change is not enough and we need a long-term solution to the shortfall in social care funding”.