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Fund boosts care at home for vulnerable people

Fund boosts care at home for vulnerable people
24 October 2016



Vulnerable people and young adults cared for by three CCGS in the West of England will get care at home instead of hospital thanks to a £140,000 fund.

The money from NHS England will be match-funded by the NHS and councils in Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire to extend their Shared Lives schemes.

The family-based care scheme means people needing support or accommodation move in or regularly visit a carer.

Vulnerable people and young adults cared for by three CCGS in the West of England will get care at home instead of hospital thanks to a £140,000 fund.

The money from NHS England will be match-funded by the NHS and councils in Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire to extend their Shared Lives schemes.

The family-based care scheme means people needing support or accommodation move in or regularly visit a carer.

The cash means the scheme will be extended to help adults with dementia and young adults aged between 18 and 25 to cut the amount of time they spend in hospital and reduce unplanned admissions.

Care will be provided by Shared Lives Plus whose CEO Alex Fox said: "People living in Shared Lives households or visiting them regularly for short breaks say that they live happier, healthier lives.”

He said councils could also save money through the scheme and added: “In the future, this could enable health services to offer community-based alternatives to traditional health provision much more widely."

Adults who need support get personal care and also do activities they enjoy with their carer.

The funding application was co-ordinated by South Gloucestershire CCG for Bristol and Somerset CCGs and Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire councils.

Guy Stenson, the head of partnerships and integration at South Gloucestershire CCG said: “Shared Lives has long been established in social care provision in each of the three local authorities but it is less commonly used as a health care intervention.”

He said the funding would help “support the drive to move care out of hospitals and into the community.”

The match-funded money will pay for two new co-ordinators who will work with the established council Shared Lives schemes to recruit and support more carers in the area.

Bolton, Barnsley, South Tees and Southern Derbyshire were also successful in winning NHS England funding as of the pilot to develop the Shared Lives scheme.

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