£60 million is to be invested over the next year to ensure children, adults and older people in Wales receive joined up health and social care services, the Welsh government has announced.

£50 million revenue funding will be provided by the Welsh government’s intermediate care fund in 2016-17 to improve care co-ordination between social services, health, housing, education and the third and independent sector through innovating and enhancing schemes which:

  • Support frail and older people
  • Develop integrated services for people with learning disabilities and children with complex needs
  • Develop an integrated autism service, focusing on a multidisciplinary team to support autism in adults and enhancing existing children’s neurodevelopmental services

£30 million of this money will be invested in services to support older people to maintain their independence and remain in their own homes. Examples include preventative and reablement solutions, single points of access, housing and telecare improvements, rapid response teams, and seven-day social work support.

The remaining £20 million will help establish new integrated services for children and adults with autism, learning disabilities and complex needs. These will be aimed at transforming the way in which care and support is delivered to people with a learning disability and/or autism and ensuring that they get fair and equal access to good quality health and social care.

An additional investment of £10 million in capital funding will complement the £50 million revenue funding. It will assist all of these groups, particularly those with long-term health conditions and complex needs.

The investments will also help avoid unnecessary hospital admissions, or inappropriate admission to residential care, as well as preventing delayed discharges from hospital. Details of specific projects will be announced in due course.

Health and Social Services Minister, Mark Drakeford, said, ‘Until now, the focus of the intermediate care fund has been on supporting older people to remain independent, enabling them to stay in their own homes for longer – relieving pressure on our hospital-based services and care homes.

‘We are increasing our investment to £30 million to support them in 2016-17. I’m also pleased we are able to make a substantial multi-million pound investment in new integrated services to support children and adults with learning disabilities and complex needs.
‘Our approach will ensure people receive the right service, in the right place, at the right time, delivered by the right professional.’