Cornwall Council has announced that plans to spend government funding to support people leaving hospitals have been agreed upon after a meeting of the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Joint Health and Wellbeing Board last month.

Ideas on how to spend the money were discussed, with Cornwall Council working closely with NHS Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Integrated Care Board.

£7m to support hospital discharges

The government announced that £500m would be allocated nationally to support discharge flow through hospitals up until 31 March 2023.

Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly will be allocated just over £7m, with £2.3m allocated to the council and £4.7m to the NHS. There are 13 schemes in place that will look at different ways to support the health and social care system this winter.

One of the key aims will be to improve and increase Cornwall's care sector workforce, this will include looking at improving care home workers' pay and investing in the Proud To Care Cornwall recruitment drive.

The council hopes that this will make current employees feel more appreciated and make working in care more appealing.

More investment will also be made into the increased use of Technology Enabled Care and equipment that will allow people to live more independently at home.

There is a range of different schemes that will look at increasing dementia bed capacity, investing in more services so that people get back on their feet quicker after an illness or fall, and providing increased capacity to the teams in charge of allocating the care that is needed.

Lead Cabinet member for adult social care and health Cllr Andy Virr said explained how important this money can be, he said: "This funding comes at a crucial time for Cornwall. It's imperative that we work with our partners to get people out of the hospital as soon as they are able to be safely discharged home.

"These schemes will make sure that both the Council and NHS are able to find the care packages that people so desperately need to help alleviate pressure on our hospitals."

Cllr Andy Virr was hopeful that this would not be the only support provided, he said: "We've been facing some significant system pressures for a long while now and although this funding is extremely welcome we're looking forward to hearing more about long-term funding for adult social care."

Chief Executive of NHS Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Integrated Care System, Kate Shields, said: "As Cornwall's health and care system remains under pressure, our frontline teams are working tirelessly to get people home from hospital as quickly and as safely as possible.

"The latest funding means we can deliver a raft of additional schemes, including extra Reablement capacity and booking more care home beds across Cornwall to help families get their loved ones back home quicker.

"The investment will help us to continue our important work to ensure the health and well-being of people across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly".

There is more information on the plans on Cornwall Council's website