NHS Trust spending on carers to be scrutinised
“This cannot go on – and the NHS knows something serious must be done to root out poor care.”
24 November, 2011 | By The Press Association
NHS trusts will be forced by the government to say how they spend cash intended for carers after research suggests it does not always reach the frontline.
Ministers have pledged £400m between 2011 and 2015 to help England’s five million carers.
But research from the Princess Royal Trust for Carers and Crossroads Care found spending on carers by primary care trusts has fallen by £2.4m this year.
The report found the vast majority of PCTs had not published plans and budgets as requested by the government, with only 26 per cent having published plans and 13 per cent publishing budgets for 2011-12.
The Princess Royal Trust obtained further information from PCTs, including through Freedom of Information requests.
The research found 4 per cent of trusts had not planned any investment in services for carers in 2011/12, down on the figure the year before.
Half of PCTs are planning to invest between £100,000 and £500,000, while 22 per cent are investing between £500,000 and £1m.
Some 7 per cent of PCTs are investing more than £1m each in services for carers.
Today, the Department of Health said PCTs must have plans in place to support carers by September next year and must publish them.
The amount of money they are allocating to carers must be made public and funds must be transferred to local authorities.
And the NHS must set out the number of paid-for breaks this could buy carers, preferably using direct payments or personal budgets.
The pledge is set out in the NHS’s Operating Framework, published later today.
It also states plans for better integration between NHS commissioners, GPs and hospitals so older patients only go into hospital if they would get better treatment than they could get in their own home.
This follows a series of damning reports into the quality of care given to older people in hospital, including cases of neglect.
Under the government’s plans, everyone providing care for older people must meet requirements set out for quality by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence.
For example, people working with dementia patients must be properly trained.
Andrew Lansley said: “The NHS is taking on the challenge next year to make sure vulnerable people get the care they need.
“I know the NHS is capable of delivering top quality care for everyone.
“The NHS often delivers excellent care.
“But we’ve also seen some really shocking examples of vulnerable people being treated really badly by the NHS recently.
“This cannot go on – and the NHS knows something serious must be done to root out poor care.”
He added: “Local areas must publish their plans to support carers. This will allow carers to know what support is available to them, including paid-for breaks.”
http://www.hsj.co.uk/news/finance/trust-spending-on-carers-to-be-scrutinised/5038329.article
