Social Care Representative Renews Calls To End The “Postcode Lottery” In Continuing Healthcare
Care England has renewed its calls to reform the NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) funding stream in response to a report published by the Nuffield Trust exposing huge inequalities, describing it as a “postcode lottery”.
Professor Martin Green OBE, Chief Executive of Care England, said:
“The Nuffield Trust’s insightful report highlights these huge disparities in CHC eligibility, which not only put enormous emotional pressure on those who rely on health and care services; but also the financial burdens of these inequalities are ultimately put onto already underfunded local authorities and care providers, who we have time and again highlighted do not have the resources to pick up where CHC is failing.”
The report outlines that the average amount spent on each eligible recipient in the most deprived fifth of areas was less than half (49.7%) of what was spent in the least deprived fifth. This is in the backdrop of increasing costs per recipient that may reflect the higher incidence of those with more complex or prolonged health and care needs.
It also highlighted the difficulties experienced by people with unmet needs in accessing the service in light of complex and variable assessments and standards.
Professor Martin Green continued:
“What needs to happen now, at the very least, is that the unfairness and inconsistency in CHC be immediately addressed. We must move to a national model that assesses need, calculates cost, and applies uplifts in a consistent manner much like the approach used for Funded Nursing Care, so that certainty to providers and people who draw on care can be delivered well into the future. ICBs must not use their reorganisation as a reason to delay resolving the issues highlighted by the Nuffield Trust and continue to act with accountability in the interest of those who need these services.
The Casey Commission will provide a clear opportunity, though, to assess whether this unfair and dismissive CHC system has delivered on its objectives over the longer term. Integration and funding of social care alongside the NHS continues to be a glaring issue for the sector, which should focus on patient experiences – services delivered free at the point they’re needed – rather than simply focusing on structures and organisations.”
Care England’s submission to the Commission will include short-term solutions that evidence how social care can, and should, complement the NHS’ recovery, alongside longer-term solutions for more wholesale reforms to integration in the second phase of the Commission’s work.
