Joint working can improve services
Author: Stephen Greenhalgh, LGC |
The main problem with the current system is that community services do not touch most of the elderly until they see a GP or are admitted to hospital with a serious illness.
There are 17,500 elderly people in Hammersmith & Fulham but not many use the services commissioned by the council or the PCT.
This has to change, and local government could play a role that would save Whitehall a considerable amount of money.
* First, we need to ensure that the public money for the elderly is put into one pot.
* Second, community services need to reflect what the elderly actually want, rather than what the state thinks they might want.
* Finally, we need to integrate the delivery of care. This will provide the real savings ? and local government holds the key.
Hammersmith & Fulham LBC is joined at the hip now with its PCT.
We are in a position for the first time to integrate the PCT’s 150m continuing care budget and other local health services with the council’s 72m community care budget.
The borough’s government grant is going down from 14m to 11m. If we can cut the duplication and focus the delivery the savings should be considerable.
All in all, real savings and improvement in services will only be delivered by taking a local integrated approach to care delivery.