Extra government funding is just a ‘sticking plaster’ says care firm

The £200 million funding announced by the Government to fund short-term care placements for patients has been described as a ‘sticking plaster’ by Tinga Umera, the Director of Sutton-Coldfield-based Nexus Care Services.

The funding, which was announced on Monday by health and social care secretary Steve Barclay, will pay for short-term care placements and will fund maximum stays of up to four weeks per patient until the end of March.

The move will free up hospital beds so that people can be admitted more quickly from A&E to wards.

“Once again, the Government has announced ‘new’ money which has come from existing healthcare budgets,” said Umera. “Instead of looking to construct a joined-up approach linking the health and social care sectors, as well as working with private-sector providers such as Nexus to ensure a joined-up approach, they have merely put a sticking plaster on the issue.”

Nexus Care Services advocates a person-centred approach in doing as much as possible to maintain the individual receiving care, remaining in their home, and receiving support and care there for as long as possible.

“All too often the overarching trend is to move people from their long-term home into a care or nursing home after they had a spell in hospital. In placing these people in short-term care for four weeks or so, the government are simply trying to find a quick fix to negative headlines, rather than doing what is best for older people needing care,” said Umera.

Nexus Care Services provide visited and live-in care across Sutton Coldfield, Tamworth, Lichfield & Cannock and Burntwood and further into Staffordshire.

For more information on Nexus Care please visit; www.nexuscareservices.co.uk or call us on 0121 308 2906.