Oldham's £1m-plus boost ahead of winter pressures

Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Matt Hancock

Oldham is set to receive £1,122,354 as part of a programme to help local authorities alleviate winter pressures on the NHS, getting patients home quicker and freeing up hospital beds across England.

The extra funding, part of a £240 million fund announced by Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Matt Hancock earlier this month, is aimed at reducing delayed transfers of care and could pay for the following:

home care packages to help patients get out of hospital quicker

reablement packages, which support workers to help patients carry out everyday tasks and regain mobility and confidence

home adaptations, including new facilities for personal care, such as adapting a shower room if a patient has limited movement

The North West of England will receive £35,692,898 in total.

Nearby Rochdale Council receive £1,108,358, and Tameside Council will be boosted by £1,154,036.

Councils have been allocated the funding based on the adult social care relative needs formula and letters have been sent out to inform them.

The health and care system has already been working hard to ensure patients return home from hospital once their treatment has finished and delays attributable to adult social care have been reduced by 39% across England since February last year.

Health and Social Care Secretary, Matt Hancock, said: “I want to help the NHS through this winter.

“I have already provided funding for hospitals to make upgrades to their buildings to deal with pressures this winter, and I am making an extra £240 million available to councils to pay for social care packages this winter to support our NHS. 

“We will use this money to help people who don’t need to be in hospital, but do need care, to get back home, into their communities, so we can then free up those vital hospital beds, and help more people get the hospital care they need.”

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