Spending Review 2013: The NHS budget in England has been protected again – but the health service has been told it must do more to help councils with social care.
Chancellor George Osborne said he wanted to see £3bn set aside in 2015-16 for integrated services. He said this was to stop vulnerable elderly patients from falling into “the cracks” between the two sectors. It comes after he announced local government would get a 10% cut.
The NHS is already committed to spending £1bn a year on joint projects with local government so this represents an extra £2bn. The chancellor told the House of Commons: “Many older people do not just use the NHS they also use the social care system and if we’re honest they often fall between the cracks of the two, being pushed form pillar to post and not getting the care they want.
