COUNCIL MEETING, 28 NOVEMBER 2002

REPORT OF THE

CABINET/LEADER

PART II

NURSING CARE INVESTMENT STRATEGY

1. Increasingly, in recent years, the County Council has been encountering difficulty in finding nursing beds for elderly people being discharged from hospital. This has resulted in delayed discharges from hospital, otherwise known as "bed blocking", which in turn has increased hospital waiting lists because of the unavailability of hospital beds. The Cabinet has developed a radical approach to the problem by formulating plans in partnership with the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Strategic Health Authority to build 500 nursing home beds for Hampshire's older people. The accommodation will be provided at up to 15 sites spread across the County, mostly on County Council land attached to its residential homes, with some on National Health Service (NHS) land. Decisions on the locations have yet to be made, but it is expected that the first beds will be ready for use in 2004. The total cost is estimated at around £60m with two thirds of the funding for the building works coming from the Department of Health and Strategic Health Authority and up to £20m from the County Council subject to supplementary credit approval or private finance initiative creditor. The annual running costs, estimated at around £13m, will also be met by the County Council.

2. This highly innovative approach, thought to be the first of its kind in the country, is made possible in Hampshire by the close partnership working which already exists between the health and social care sectors. In addition, the County Council's Social Services Department, who will run the homes, already has the necessary expertise as demonstrated by the successful management of its 1100 beds in 26 older persons' residential homes. The project will be managed jointly by the Social Services and Property, Business and Regulatory Departments.

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