- Projects include new ways to support unpaid carers, new digital tools for recruitment and retention, and increased social prescribing
- Local authorities invited to register for a share of the £42.6 million in grant funding for projects in their area
Unpaid carers and those requiring care are in line to benefit from innovative new projects backed by a £42.6 million fund announced by the Department for Health and Social Care today, as the government continues to deliver on its vision for social care reform.
The Accelerating Reform Fund will focus on trialling and expanding new approaches to providing care and improving services for unpaid carers and is part of the Department's Innovation and Improvement Unit. This fund includes our commitment to invest up to an additional £25m to support unpaid carers.
It is intended to fund projects which support our 10-year vision for adult social care, which focuses on three objectives: that people have choice, control and support to live independent lives, people can receive outstanding quality and tailored care and support, and that people find adult social care fair and accessible.
Local authorities are invited to register their interest in partnership with others in their integrated care systems to fund local innovation projects, which will be evaluated for potential rollout across the country.
Minister for Care, Helen Whately, said:
I'm delighted to see the sector developing creative ways to move towards our ten-year vision for adult social care, and this funding is intended to help accelerate and grow these innovative approaches more widely.
Our selfless unpaid carers are often the unsung heroes of the care sector - which is why I've asked that they are at the heart of this funding, aimed at supporting locally-tailored projects that boost the quality, accessibility and independence of care.
Examples of projects include Shared Lives, a care and support service that matches people aged 16 and above who want to live independently in their community with Shared Lives carers. People move in with their Shared Lives carers and are supported within the context of the carer's home and family. Support can vary depending on what suits the person, but can include temporary care and support, a day service, or longer-term overnight care.
An independent cost comparison of Shared Lives found that it has significantly lower costs for people with learning disabilities and people with mental ill health than other forms of regulated social care, such as residential care. Research by the Social Care Institute for Excellence found that Shared Lives can result in an average saving of £8,000 for people with mental health needs and £26,000 for people with learning disabilities.
More examples of innovation priorities, including case studies,
