Adult Social Care Services in Cambridgeshire have been given a £1.5 million Government boost towards efforts to reduce delayed discharges from hospitals in the county.

The Department of Health has announced a one-off £150 million grant to Primary Care Trusts in England, for immediate transfer to local authorities for investment in social services which also benefit the health system.

In Cambridgeshire, £1.45 million will be channelled to Cambridgeshire County Council via NHS Cambridgeshire. The two organisations already work closely together and in partnership with hospitals in the county to ensure that people are able to leave medical care as soon as possible.

This relationship between hospitals, GPs, NHS community partners, social services and the independent and voluntary sector is pivotal to ensuring that patients who are admitted to hospital only remain in beds for the time they require specialist acute care and are discharged out as soon as they are deemed safe to leave – this extra money will enable us to build on that existing partnership.