LGA responds to latest delayed discharges figures

Responding to today's monthly delayed transfers of care figures, Chairman of the Local Government Association's Community Wellbeing Board, Cllr Izzi Seccombe, said: "Getting people out of hospital more quickly and back living at home will only work properly if councils get enough resource throughout the whole year to properly fund adult social care. The scale of underfunding is placing the care provider market under huge pressure, making it more difficult to discharge people from hospital into care. "This is why in our Autumn Statement submission to the Treasury, we are calling on the Chancellor to provide the funding needed to ensure a fair care system where everybody can receive safe, high-quality care and support, and not just those fortunate enough to be able to pay for it. "Our new analysis has found that social care for the elderly and disabled could be facing a potential funding gap of at least £2.6 billion. This includes at least £1.3 billion right now to stabilise the provider market, and a further £1.3 billion by 2019/20 to deal with the additional pressures brought about by an ageing population, inflation, and the cost of paying the National Living Wage.