What is the Better Care Fund?
The Better Care Fund (BCF) is a pooled system budget with:
- local authorities, and
- the NHS
The fund allows the combination of health and care services. This is to ensure better outcomes for people who live and work in the local area. It supports the local system to transform services through a joined-up approach to care and support.
The BCF was first announced in 2013 and has since expanded to include:
The Improved Better Care Fund (iBCF)
This aims to:
- support social care activity
- address care pressures
- reduce NHS pressures
- enable more people to be discharged from hospital when they are ready
Disabled Facilities Grant
This aims to support older people or people living with a disability who require adaptations to their homes. It can help them to be more independent and allow their carers to continue their role safely.
Adult Social Care Discharge Fund
This aims to:
- support discharge from the hospital into the community, and
- reduce the number of delayed discharges
The conditions of the BCF are set out yearly in the BCF Policy Framework.
The impact of the BCF is measured through metrics around:
- avoidable admissions
- hospital admissions due to falls
- discharge to usual place of residence
- residential admissions
- reablement
Why is it important for Southend?
The BCF funds a range of services across health and social care to support:
- community health services
- Adult Social Care services
- market pressures
- short term support to people leaving hospital
- prevention of hospital admission
- home adaptations to meet need
- seasonal pressures
In Southend, we are focusing on how the combined delivery of care and support can better serve the people of Southend. Our vision is to work with people to enable residents to live:
- safely,
- well, and
- independently
To support this vision, we use the BCF to create a health and care system that is:
- collaborative,
- effective, and
- efficient