£180m health funding boost will ‘ultimately help provide better services for patients in Wrexham & across Wales’

Plans to deliver a ‘seamless health and social care system’, which supports people to live healthy and independent lives, will receive a £180m funding boost next year Welsh Government Ministers announced today – in a move welcomed by Wrexham’s AM.

Today Health and Social Services Secretary, Vaughan Gething and Minister for Children, Older People and Social Care, Huw Irranca-Davies set out their spending priorities for 2019-20.

Earlier this year, the Welsh Government published A Healthier Wales, the long-term plan for health and social care in Wales.

The Welsh Government have said: “As part of the process of transforming the health and social care system, the Welsh Government wants everyone to have access to a single integrated package of health and social care when they need it. This may be delivered by several different services, according to people’s needs.”

Health and Social Services Secretary Vaughan Gething said: “In Wales, we’ve set out a clear vision to transform the health and care system. People will receive a single integrated package of support for health and social care tailored to their needs and preferences.

“The £180m package of investment we’re confirming today for health and social care in Wales represents a significant additional investment next year. It will be targeted across the health and social care system, to reflect the integrated approach we are promoting towards the development of seamless models of care.”

A package of £130m funding in 2019-20 will help to deliver the single integrated package of support and will be available to health and social care regional partnerships throughout Wales. The funding will be allocated across three main areas:

– £50m of revenue funding for the Integrated Care Fund, which aims to reduce pressure on the hospital and social care system by helping to prevent unnecessary hospital admissions, inappropriate admissions to residential care, and delayed hospital discharges
– £30m to be allocated through the regional partnership boards – these are shared decision-making bodies between health boards and local authorities. Regional partnership boards will play a leading role in the delivery of A Healthier Wales
– £50m for the Transformation Fund, which will be allocated to programmes endorsed by regional partnership boards, to take forward the development and implementation of new models of care.
Ministers have also confirmed local authority social care services will receive £50m next year – £20m will be provided as part of the local government revenue support grant and a further £30m as a specific grant from the health and social services budget.

Locally we asked Wrexham’s Assembly Member Lesley Griffiths about the extra cash. She welcomed the Welsh Government announcement saying: “This substantial additional investment is part of a long-term strategy to transform the way care is delivered and to ensure it is sustainable for future generations.”

“Better integrating health and social care services will help reduce reliance on hospitals and deliver care closer to home. It will also support the dedicated frontline NHS staff who work tirelessly under pressurised circumstances and ultimately help provide better services for patients in Wrexham and across Wales.”

With Wrexham Council’s cuts being something we have been writing about a fair bit, and the context from them being based around a ‘choice’ by Welsh Government, we asked

“I have previously stated the Welsh Government has prioritised health spending in its latest Draft Budget and I do not think it should apologise for that.”

“People are fully aware we live in challenging financial times due to the Tory UK Government’s ideological pursuit of austerity. In recent years, the Welsh Budget has been slashed meaning difficult decisions have had to be made.

“The Welsh Government has shielded local authorities from the worst effects of austerity but after nine long years and with further cuts in the pipeline, the task is becoming ever more demanding.”

“Increasing spending on public services will only occur when the Tories in Westminster end their failed policy of austerity and I would urge the Tory / ‘Independent’ Councillors that run Wrexham Council to lobby their UK Government colleagues to truly end austerity and offer Wales fair funding.”