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<header class="gem-c-inverse-header gem-c-inverse-header--padding-top "> <div class="gem-c-title gem-c-title--inverse govuk-!-margin-top-8 govuk-!-margin-bottom-0"> <span class="govuk-caption-xl gem-c-title__context"> Policy paper </span> <h1 class="gem-c-title__text govuk-heading-xl"> 2023 to 2025 Better Care Fund policy framework </h1> </div> <p class="publication-header__last-changed">Published 4 April 2023</p> </header> <section class="gem-c-devolved-nations"> <h2 class="govuk-heading-s govuk-!-margin-bottom-0"> Applies to England </h2> </section> <div class="sidebar-with-body" id="contents"> <div class="govuk-grid-row"> <div class="govuk-grid-column-one-quarter-from-desktop contents-list-container"> <nav data-module="gem-track-click" aria-label="Contents" class="gem-c-contents-list" role="navigation"> <h2 class="gem-c-contents-list__title"> Contents </h2> <ol class="gem-c-contents-list__list"> <li class="gem-c-contents-list__list-item gem-c-contents-list__list-item--numbered"> <a class="gem-c-contents-list__link govuk-link govuk-link--no-underline" data-track-category="contentsClicked" data-track-action="content_item 1" data-track-label="#introduction" data-track-options="{"dimension29":"Introduction"}" href="#introduction">Introduction</a> </li> <li class="gem-c-contents-list__list-item gem-c-contents-list__list-item--numbered"> <a class="gem-c-contents-list__link govuk-link govuk-link--no-underline" data-track-category="contentsClicked" data-track-action="content_item 2" data-track-label="#funding" data-track-options="{"dimension29":"Funding"}" href="#funding">Funding</a> </li> <li class="gem-c-contents-list__list-item gem-c-contents-list__list-item--numbered"> <a class="gem-c-contents-list__link govuk-link govuk-link--no-underline" data-track-category="contentsClicked" data-track-action="content_item 3" data-track-label="#bcf-national-conditions-and-metrics-for-2023-to-2025" data-track-options="{"dimension29":"\nBCF national conditions and metrics for 2023 to 2025"}" href="#bcf-national-conditions-and-metrics-for-2023-to-2025"> BCF national conditions and metrics for 2023 to 2025</a> </li> <li class="gem-c-contents-list__list-item gem-c-contents-list__list-item--numbered"> <a class="gem-c-contents-list__link govuk-link govuk-link--no-underline" data-track-category="contentsClicked" data-track-action="content_item 4" data-track-label="#planning-and-assurance-of-bcf-plans-for-2023-to-2024-and-2024-to-2025" data-track-options="{"dimension29":"Planning and assurance of BCF plans for 2023 to 2024 and 2024 to 2025"}" href="#planning-and-assurance-of-bcf-plans-for-2023-to-2024-and-2024-to-2025">Planning and assurance of BCF plans for 2023 to 2024 and 2024 to 2025</a> </li> <li class="gem-c-contents-list__list-item gem-c-contents-list__list-item--numbered"> <a class="gem-c-contents-list__link govuk-link govuk-link--no-underline" data-track-category="contentsClicked" data-track-action="content_item 5" data-track-label="#national-bcf-support-offer" data-track-options="{"dimension29":"National BCF support offer"}" href="#national-bcf-support-offer">National BCF support offer</a> </li> </ol> </nav> <div class="gem-c-print-link govuk-!-display-none-print govuk-!-margin-top-0 govuk-!-margin-bottom-6"> <button class="govuk-link govuk-body-s gem-c-print-link__button" data-module="ga4-event-tracker print-link" data-ga4-event="{"event_name":"print_page","type":"print page","index":{"index_link":1},"index_total":1,"section":"Content"}">Print this page</button> </div> </div> <div class="print-wrapper"> <div class="print-meta-data"> <p> <img class="print-meta-data-licence" src="/web/20230404151348im_/https://www.gov.uk/assets/government-frontend/open-government-licence-min-93b6a51b518ff99714a1aa2a7d2162735c155ec3cb073c75fb88b2a332fa83d3.png"> </p> <p> © Crown copyright 2023 </p> <p> This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20230404151348/https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3">nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3</a> or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20230404151348/mailto:psi@nationalarchives.gov.uk">psi@nationalarchives.gov.uk</a>. </p> <p> Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned. </p> <p> This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/better-care-fund-policy-framework-2023-to-2025/2023-to-2025-better-care-fund-policy-framework </p> </div> </div> <div class="main-content-container"> <div class="gem-c-govspeak-html-publication"> <div class="gem-c-govspeak govuk-govspeak " data-module="govspeak"> <div class="govspeak"> <h2 id="introduction">Introduction</h2> <p>This policy framework confirms the conditions and funding for the Better Care Fund (<abbr title="Better Care Fund">BCF</abbr>) for 2023 to 2025.</p> <p>Since 2015, the <abbr title="Better Care Fund">BCF</abbr> has been crucial in supporting people to live healthy, independent and dignified lives, through joining up health, social care and housing services seamlessly around the person. This vision is underpinned by 2 core objectives, to:</p> <ul> <li>enable people to stay well, safe and independent at home for longer</li> <li>provide people with the right care, at the right place, at the right time</li> </ul> <p>The <abbr title="Better Care Fund">BCF</abbr> achieves this by requiring integrated care boards (<abbr title="integrated care boards">ICBs</abbr>) and local government to agree a joint plan, owned by the health and wellbeing board (<abbr title="health and wellbeing board">HWB</abbr>), governed by an agreement under section 75 of the NHS Act (2006). This continues to provide an important framework in bringing local NHS services and local government together to tackle pressures faced across the health and social care system and drive better outcomes for people. 94% of local areas agreed that joint working had improved as a result of the <abbr title="Better Care Fund">BCF</abbr> in 2021 to 2022.</p> <p>The <abbr title="Better Care Fund">BCF</abbr> programme underpins key priorities in the NHS Long Term Plan by joining up services in the community and the government’s <a rel="external" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20230404151348/https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/delivery-plan-for-recovering-urgent-and-emergency-care-services/" class="govuk-link">plan for recovering urgent and emergency care (<abbr title="urgent and emergency care">UEC</abbr>) services</a>, as well as supporting the delivery of <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20230404151348/https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/adult-social-care-system-reform-next-steps-to-put-people-at-the-heart-of-care" class="govuk-link">Next steps to put People at the Heart of Care</a>. The <abbr title="Better Care Fund">BCF</abbr> facilitates the smooth transition of people out of hospital, reduces the chances of re-admission, and supports people to avoid long term residential care. The <abbr title="Better Care Fund">BCF</abbr> is also a vehicle for wider joining up of services across health and local government, such as support for unpaid carers, housing support and public health.</p> <p>We want local areas to continue to deliver more joined-up care across health and social care, with greater certainty to plan the use of <abbr title="Better Care Fund">BCF</abbr> funding over a 2-year cycle. The delivery of the <abbr title="Better Care Fund">BCF</abbr> will support 2 key priorities for the health and care system that align with the 2 existing <abbr title="Better Care Fund">BCF</abbr> objectives:</p> <ul> <li>improving overall quality of life for people, and reducing pressure on <abbr title="urgent and emergency care">UEC</abbr>, acute and social care services through investing in preventative services</li> <li>tackling delayed discharge and bringing about sustained improvements in discharge outcomes and wider system flow - these are set out in the ‘<abbr title="Better Care Fund">BCF</abbr> objectives and priorities for 2023 to 2025’ section below</li> </ul> <p>We will support local areas’ delivery of the above objectives through additional funding over the 2 years. This includes a 5.66% increase to the NHS minimum contribution into the <abbr title="Better Care Fund">BCF</abbr> each year, and an extra £1.6 billion to support hospital discharge. In addition, it is our intention that the £102 million new funding to support adaptations announced in ‘Next steps to put People at the Heart of Care’ will be disbursed as an additional tranche of the Disabled Facilities Grant (<abbr title="Disabled Facilities Grant">DFG</abbr>) funding - we will confirm the position in due course. We will also continue to offer bespoke support to help areas deliver these priorities through their <abbr title="Better Care Fund">BCF</abbr> plans.</p> <p>To improve transparency and clarity of <abbr title="Better Care Fund">BCF</abbr> spending against <abbr title="Better Care Fund">BCF</abbr> objectives, reporting for 2023 to 2025 has also been refreshed to include the collection of activity data, refreshed metrics and updated spending categories.</p> <p>A summary of funding, national conditions and the planning process is set out in this document, with further detail available in the planning requirements.</p> <h3 id="bcf-objectives-and-priorities-for-2023-to-2025"> <abbr title="Better Care Fund">BCF</abbr> objectives and priorities for 2023 to 2025</h3> <h4 id="objective-1-to-enable-people-to-stay-well-safe-and-independent-at-home-for-longer">Objective 1: to enable people to stay well, safe and independent at home for longer</h4> <p>The priorities for health and social care are to improve quality of life and reduce pressure on <abbr title="urgent and emergency care">UEC</abbr>, acute and social care services.</p> <p>This will be achieved through various mechanisms, including:</p> <ul> <li>collaborative working with the voluntary, housing and independent provider sectors</li> <li>investment in a range of preventative, community health and housing services</li> <li>supporting unpaid carers</li> </ul> <h4 id="objective-2-to-provide-people-with-the-right-care-at-the-right-place-at-the-right-time">Objective 2: to provide people with the right care, at the right place, at the right time.</h4> <p>The priorities for health and social care are to tackle immediate pressures in delayed discharges and demand for hospital attendances and admissions, bringing about sustained improvements in outcomes for people discharged from hospital, and wider system flow.</p> <p>This will be achieved by embedding strong joint working between the NHS, local government and the voluntary, housing and independent provider sectors.</p> <h2 id="funding">Funding</h2> <p>Details for the minimum contributions to the <abbr title="Better Care Fund">BCF</abbr> for 2023 to 2025 are set out below. This includes the additional £1.6 billion funding for supporting hospital discharge.</p> <p>Table 1: minimum contributions to the <abbr title="Better Care Fund">BCF</abbr> in 2023 to 2024 and 2024 to 2025</p> <table> <thead> <tr> <th scope="col"> <abbr title="Better Care Fund">BCF</abbr> funding contributions</th> <th scope="col" class="cell-text-right">2023 to 2024 (£m)</th> <th scope="col" class="cell-text-right">2024 to 2025 (£m)</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <th scope="row"> Minimum NHS contribution</th> <td class="cell-text-right">4,759</td> <td class="cell-text-right">5,029</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row"> Improved Better Care Fund (<abbr title="improved Better Care Fund">iBCF</abbr>)</th> <td class="cell-text-right">2,140</td> <td class="cell-text-right">2,140 (TBC)</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row"> Disabled Facilities Grant (<abbr title="Disabled Facilities Grant">DFG</abbr>)</th> <td class="cell-text-right">573</td> <td class="cell-text-right">573</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row"> Discharge funding</th> <td class="cell-text-right">600</td> <td class="cell-text-right">1,000</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row"> Grand total</th> <td class="cell-text-right">8,072 (+4.6%)</td> <td class="cell-text-right">8,741 (+8.3%)</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p>The flexibility of local areas to pool more funding than the mandatory amounts will remain. In 2022 to 2023, <abbr title="integrated care boards">ICBs</abbr>, local authorities or both contributed a total of £2.8 billion in additional funding in over 100 <abbr title="health and wellbeing boards">HWBs</abbr>. Through <abbr title="Better Care Fund">BCF</abbr> planning, where areas are assured that voluntary pooling provides value for money, they may wish to build on their minimum contributions.</p> <h3 id="nhs-minimum-contribution-to-the-bcf">NHS minimum contribution to the <abbr title="Better Care Fund">BCF</abbr> </h3> <p>Allocations from the NHS minimum contribution for each <abbr title="integrated care board">ICB</abbr> and <abbr title="health and wellbeing board">HWB</abbr> are published on the NHS England (<abbr title="NHS England">NHSE</abbr>) website.</p> <p>In order to spend this funding, areas must have their <abbr title="Better Care Fund">BCF</abbr> plans approved, by meeting the 4 national conditions set out in <abbr title="Better Care Fund">BCF</abbr> national conditions and metrics for 2023 to 2025. We expect <abbr title="Better Care Fund">BCF</abbr> plans to be submitted by 28 June 2023 and for plans to be approved by 8 September 2023. More detail is set out in the planning requirements.</p> <p>As in previous years, the NHS contribution to the <abbr title="Better Care Fund">BCF</abbr> will include funding to support the policies introduced under the Care Act 2014, as well as funding previously earmarked for the provision of carers’ breaks. This is set out in the planning requirements. In particular, the way services and local areas work in partnership with and support unpaid carers is critical. To drive this, local areas will be asked to provide a brief overview in their narrative plans of how <abbr title="Better Care Fund">BCF</abbr> funding is supporting unpaid carers. This supports the government’s recent commitments on empowering unpaid carers as set out in the <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20230404151348/https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/people-at-the-heart-of-care-adult-social-care-reform-white-paper" class="govuk-link">adult social care reform white paper: People at the Heart of Care</a> and more recently in ‘Next steps to put People at the Heart of Care’.</p> <p>Funding previously earmarked for reablement also remains in the NHS contribution. Local areas should consider how to align their local plans with the ambitions and opportunities to scale up intermediate care, as outlined in the delivery plan for recovering urgent and emergency care services.</p> <p>The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has published the <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20230404151348/https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-health-service-expenditure-on-service-integration-directions" class="govuk-link">National Health Service (Expenditure on Service Integration) Directions 2023</a> to <abbr title="NHS England">NHSE</abbr> under section 223B of the NHS Act 2006 to ringfence £5,059 million to form the NHS contribution to the <abbr title="Better Care Fund">BCF</abbr> in 2023 to 2024. That figure includes additional funding for discharge via <abbr title="integrated care boards">ICBs</abbr> (£300 million) in 2023 to 2024 and more detail on this funding is provided in the ‘Discharge Fund’ section and in the planning requirements. The planning requirements document, which is published by <abbr title="NHS England">NHSE</abbr>, contains directions from <abbr title="NHS England">NHSE</abbr> to <abbr title="integrated care boards">ICBs</abbr> under section 223GA of the 2006 Act relating to the funding allocated to them, including the conditions that must be met by <abbr title="integrated care boards">ICBs</abbr> relating to the receipt and use of such funding. These conditions ensure that this funding is being spent in accordance with the policy framework.</p> <p><abbr title="NHS England">NHSE</abbr> will consider taking action, including in accordance with its powers under section 223GA(5) of the NHS Act 2006, in consultation with the Department of Health and Social Care (<abbr title="Department of Health and Social Care">DHSC</abbr>) and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (<abbr title="DLUHC Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities">DLUHC</abbr>), where the national conditions are not met. These considerations do not apply to the amounts paid directly to local authorities from government.</p> <h3 id="disabled-facilities-grant-dfg">Disabled Facilities Grant (<abbr title="Disabled Facilities Grant">DFG</abbr>)</h3> <p>Housing adaptations, including those delivered through the <abbr title="Disabled Facilities Grant">DFG</abbr>, support the <abbr title="Better Care Fund">BCF</abbr> objectives by helping towards the costs of making changes to people’s homes to enable them to stay well, safe and independent at home for longer.</p> <p>Funding for the <abbr title="Disabled Facilities Grant">DFG</abbr> is at least £573 million in 2023 to 2024 and at least £573 million in 2024 to 2025, as set out in the People at the Heart of Care white paper. In addition, Next steps to put People at the Heart of Care announced a further £102 million (£50 million in 2023 to 2024 and £52 million in 2024 to 2025) to fund supplementary services that are agile and help people stay independent, support hospital discharge and make minor adaptations.</p> <p>It is currently our intention to distribute this as an additional tranche of <abbr title="Disabled Facilities Grant">DFG</abbr> funding, in order that local housing authorities can use flexibilities already available to them to fund those services. Further information and confirmation of the position will follow in due course.</p> <p>The <abbr title="Disabled Facilities Grant">DFG</abbr> funding is paid to local government via a section 31 grant. The <abbr title="Disabled Facilities Grant">DFG</abbr> capital grant must be spent in accordance with an approved joint <abbr title="Better Care Fund">BCF</abbr> plan, developed in keeping with this policy framework and the planning requirements. In line with national condition 2 (implementing <abbr title="Better Care Fund">BCF</abbr> policy objective 1: enabling people to stay well, safe and independent at home for longer), we will ask areas to set out in their <abbr title="Better Care Fund">BCF</abbr> plans how the <abbr title="Disabled Facilities Grant">DFG</abbr> is being used strategically to achieve the 2 objectives.</p> <p>As in previous years, in 2-tier areas, decisions around the use of the <abbr title="Disabled Facilities Grant">DFG</abbr> funding will need to be made with the direct involvement of both tiers of local government (county and district councils) working jointly to support integration ambitions. Full details of both the core funding and the additional reform funding will be set out in respective <abbr title="Disabled Facilities Grant">DFG</abbr> grant determination letters, which will be published over the coming months.</p> <p>The government published updated <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20230404151348/https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/disabled-facilities-grant-dfg-delivery-guidance-for-local-authorities-in-england" class="govuk-link">guidance for local authorities</a> on 28 March 2022 that sets out how they can effectively and efficiently deliver <abbr title="Disabled Facilities Grant">DFG</abbr> funded adaptations to best serve the needs of local older and disabled people. This guidance highlights how housing authorities can use government funding for the <abbr title="Disabled Facilities Grant">DFG</abbr> more flexibly under the Regulatory Reform (Housing Assistance) (England and Wales) Order 2002 (<abbr title="Regulatory Reform (Housing Assistance) (England and Wales) Order 2002">RRO</abbr>).</p> <p>Local housing authorities should take advantage of these flexibilities to develop and publish a Housing Assistance Policy under the <abbr title="Regulatory Reform (Housing Assistance) (England and Wales) Order 2002">RRO</abbr> to help people to live independently. Policies can include measures to speed up <abbr title="Disabled Facilities Grant">DFG</abbr> delivery - for example, a local authority could develop a simplified system to deliver small-scale adaptations more quickly. Policies can also establish schemes to support rapid discharge of people from hospital, or to prevent admission to hospital or residential care.</p> <h3 id="improved-better-care-fund-ibcf">Improved Better Care Fund (<abbr title="improved Better Care Fund">iBCF</abbr>)</h3> <p>The total allocation of the <abbr title="improved Better Care Fund">iBCF</abbr> in 2023 to 2024 is £2.14 billion. The <abbr title="improved Better Care Fund">iBCF</abbr> grant allocations were confirmed alongside the publication of the final Local Government Finance Settlement on 6 February 2023. Full details are set out in the <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20230404151348/https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/social-care-funding-grant-determination-for-2023-to-2024" class="govuk-link">grant determination letter</a>.</p> <p>As in previous years, a core condition is that the grant is pooled into local areas’ <abbr title="Better Care Fund">BCF</abbr> plans. This funding does not replace, and must not be offset against, the NHS minimum contribution to adult social care.</p> <p>The value of the <abbr title="improved Better Care Fund">iBCF</abbr> in 2024 to 2025 is indicative only. Final decisions on the 2024 to 2025 <abbr title="improved Better Care Fund">iBCF</abbr> (including allocations) will be made, and full details published, as part of the 2024 to 2025 Local Government Finance Settlement. For planning purposes, pending those decisions, areas should plan on the basis that allocations will be consistent with the approach taken in 2023 to 2024.</p> <h3 id="discharge-fund">Discharge Fund</h3> <p>The 2022 autumn statement announced that a further £600 million will be distributed in 2023 to 2024 and £1 billion in 2024 to 2025 through the <abbr title="Better Care Fund">BCF</abbr> to support safe and timely discharge from hospital to home or an appropriate community setting. This builds on the £500 million injection into the <abbr title="Better Care Fund">BCF</abbr> last year to speed the safe discharge of individuals over winter.</p> <p>In 2023 to 2024, the discharge fund will focus on growing social care capacity in ways that have the greatest possible impact on:</p> <ul> <li>reducing delayed hospital discharges</li> <li>planning services sufficiently far in advance to enable providers to make appropriate workforce capacity plans</li> <li>learning from evaluation of the impact of previous discharge funding</li> <li>improving collaboration and information sharing across health and social care services</li> </ul> <p>Full details of the 2023 to 2024 Discharge Fund conditions are outlined in the planning requirements.</p> <h2 id="bcf-national-conditions-and-metrics-for-2023-to-2025"> <abbr title="Better Care Fund">BCF</abbr> national conditions and metrics for 2023 to 2025</h2> <p>The national conditions for the <abbr title="Better Care Fund">BCF</abbr> in 2023 to 2025 are:</p> <ul> <li> <p>a jointly agreed plan between local health and social care commissioners, signed off by the <abbr title="health and wellbeing board">HWB</abbr></p> </li> <li> <p>implementing <abbr title="Better Care Fund">BCF</abbr> policy objective 1: enabling people to stay well, safe and independent at home for longer</p> </li> <li> <p>implementing <abbr title="Better Care Fund">BCF</abbr> policy objective 2: providing the right care, at the right place, at the right time</p> </li> <li> <p>maintaining the NHS’s contribution to adult social care (in line with the uplift to the NHS minimum contribution to the <abbr title="Better Care Fund">BCF</abbr>), and investment in NHS commissioned out of hospital services</p> </li> </ul> <h3 id="national-condition-1-a-jointly-agreed-plan-between-local-health-and-social-care-commissioners-and-signed-off-by-the-hwb">National condition 1: a jointly agreed plan between local health and social care commissioners and signed off by the <abbr title="health and wellbeing board">HWB</abbr> </h3> <p>The local authority and <abbr title="integrated care boards">ICBs</abbr> must agree a plan for their <abbr title="health and wellbeing board">HWB</abbr> area that includes:</p> <ul> <li>agreement on use of mandatory <abbr title="Better Care Fund">BCF</abbr> funding streams</li> <li>an assessment of capacity and demand for intermediate care services</li> <li>ambitions for making progress against the national metrics</li> </ul> <p>The plan must be signed off by the <abbr title="health and wellbeing board">HWB</abbr>.</p> <p><abbr title="Better Care Fund">BCF</abbr> plans should set out a joined-up approach to integrated, person-centred services including unpaid carers across local health, care, housing and wider public services. They should include arrangements for joint commissioning, and an agreed approach for making progress towards the 2 policy objectives as part of the <abbr title="health and wellbeing board">HWB</abbr> area’s response to national conditions 2 and 3. This should confirm how <abbr title="Better Care Fund">BCF</abbr> funding will support this work, and how this will improve performance on the national metrics.</p> <p>More detailed guidance can be found in the planning requirements.</p> <h3 id="national-condition-2-implementing-bcf-policy-objective-1-enabling-people-to-stay-well-safe-and-independent-at-home-for-longer">National condition 2: implementing <abbr title="Better Care Fund">BCF</abbr> policy objective 1: enabling people to stay well, safe and independent at home for longer</h3> <p>This national condition requires areas to agree a joint plan to deliver health and social care services that support improved outcomes against the fund’s first policy objective.</p> <p>In meeting the first objective, areas should continue to focus on promoting people’s independence in the community and, in particular, addressing the health, social care and housing needs of those who are at risk of reduced independence. This focus should include how integrated provision of health and social care, and support for unpaid carers will contribute to outcomes related to metrics on admission to residential care and avoidable admissions to hospital. Commissioners should agree how services delivered via <abbr title="Better Care Fund">BCF</abbr> funding sources will support this objective.</p> <p>In developing plans, local systems should draw on the High Impact Change Models for <a rel="external" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20230404151348/https://www.local.gov.uk/our-support/partners-care-and-health/care-and-health-improvement/working-hospitals/reducing-preventable-admissions" class="govuk-link">Reducing preventable admissions to hospital and long-term care</a> and <a rel="external" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20230404151348/https://www.local.gov.uk/publications/improving-health-and-wellbeing-through-housing-high-impact-change-model" class="govuk-link">Improving health and wellbeing through housing</a>.</p> <h3 id="national-condition-3-implementing-bcf-policy-objective-2-providing-the-right-care-at-the-right-place-at-the-right-time">National condition 3: implementing <abbr title="Better Care Fund">BCF</abbr> policy objective 2: providing the right care, at the right place, at the right time</h3> <p>This national condition requires areas to agree a joint plan to deliver health and social care services that support improvement in outcomes against the fund’s second policy objective.</p> <p>In meeting the second objective, areas should continue to focus on making sure that people are discharged to the right place, at the right time, and with the right support that maximises their independence and leads to the best possible sustainable outcomes. This includes continued implementation of the <a rel="external" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20230404151348/https://www.local.gov.uk/our-support/partners-care-and-health/care-and-health-improvement/working-hospitals/managing-transfers-of-care/about" class="govuk-link">High Impact Change Model for transfers of care</a>, which has been integral to meeting <abbr title="Better Care Fund">BCF</abbr> requirements around supporting discharge and guidance on hospital discharge and community support since 2017, and is regularly reviewed. Delivery of this objective will support the <a rel="external" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20230404151348/https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/delivery-plan-for-recovering-urgent-and-emergency-care-services/" class="govuk-link"><abbr title="urgent and emergency care">UEC</abbr> recovery plan</a> in ensuring people are not in hospital for longer than necessary and to support system flow through improving joint discharge processes, and scaling up intermediate care and social care services.</p> <h4 id="intermediate-care-capacity-and-demand-plans">Intermediate care capacity and demand plans</h4> <p>As in 2022 to 2023, local areas will be required to agree and submit a plan showing:</p> <ul> <li>expected demand for intermediate care services (and other short-term care) to help people to remain independent at home (including support aimed at avoiding unnecessary hospital admissions and support following discharge from hospital)</li> <li>services to support this recovery (including rehabilitation and reablement)</li> <li>expected capacity in the <abbr title="health and wellbeing board">HWB</abbr> area to meet this demand</li> </ul> <p>The intermediate care capacity and demand plans should cover all intermediate care services (and other short-term care) across the local system. There is no requirement that the <abbr title="Better Care Fund">BCF</abbr> should be used to fund all services within the capacity and demand plan. These capacity and demand plans should also complement and build on the capacity and demand sections of <abbr title="urgent and emergency care">UEC</abbr> returns in the NHS planning returns - mapped to local authority area, as well as wider capacity and demand planning initiatives such as those through the Market Sustainability and Improvement Fund. As is the case with wider <abbr title="Better Care Fund">BCF</abbr> plans, it is expected that acute trusts and other providers are involved in the development of these plans. Guidance on this is provided in the <abbr title="Better Care Fund">BCF</abbr> planning requirements, and templates can be found on the <a rel="external" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20230404151348/https://www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/part-rel/transformation-fund/better-care-fund/the-better-care-exchange/" class="govuk-link">Better Care Exchange</a>.</p> <h3 id="national-condition-4-maintaining-nhs-contribution-to-adult-social-care-in-line-with-the-uplift-to-the-nhs-minimum-contribution-to-the-bcf-and-investment-in-nhs-commissioned-out-of-hospital-services">National condition 4: maintaining NHS contribution to adult social care (in line with the uplift to the NHS minimum contribution to the <abbr title="Better Care Fund">BCF</abbr>) and investment in NHS commissioned out of hospital services</h3> <p>The 2021 spending review confirmed the NHS minimum contribution to the <abbr title="Better Care Fund">BCF</abbr> will rise in actual terms by 5.66% each year from 2022 to 2025. Minimum contributions to social care will also increase by 5.66%. The minimum expectation of spending for each <abbr title="health and wellbeing board">HWB</abbr> area is derived by applying the percentage increase in the NHS minimum contribution to the <abbr title="Better Care Fund">BCF</abbr> for the area to the 2022 to 2023 minimum social care maintenance figure for the <abbr title="health and wellbeing board">HWB</abbr>.</p> <p>These minimum expectations will be published alongside the <abbr title="Better Care Fund">BCF</abbr> planning requirements. <abbr title="health and wellbeing boards">HWBs</abbr> should review spending on social care, funded by the NHS minimum contribution to the <abbr title="Better Care Fund">BCF</abbr>, to ensure the minimum expectations are met, in line with the national condition.</p> <p><abbr title="Better Care Fund">BCF</abbr> narrative plans should also set out the approach to investing in NHS out of hospital services locally, and how health and local authority partners will work together to deliver it. Expenditure plans should show the schemes that are being commissioned from <abbr title="Better Care Fund">BCF</abbr> funding sources to support this condition.</p> <h3 id="metrics">Metrics</h3> <p>Beyond the 4 conditions (and grant conditions), areas have flexibility in how the fund is spent across health, care and housing schemes or services, but need to agree ambitions on how this spending will improve performance against the <abbr title="Better Care Fund">BCF</abbr> 2023 to 2025 metrics set out below. We have revised the metrics this year to consider a wider range of metrics, which reflect the objectives of the <abbr title="Better Care Fund">BCF</abbr> and improvements to data collections over the next 12 months.</p> <p>A summary of metrics for both years is in the ‘<abbr title="Better Care Fund">BCF</abbr> metrics for 2023 to 2025’ section below. Areas will need to agree ambitions and plans for 2023 to 2024 metrics (with the exception of delays to discharge) as part of <abbr title="Better Care Fund">BCF</abbr> plans. Ambitions for 2024 to 2025 will be completed by areas in the final quarter of 2023 to 2024.</p> <p>The <a rel="external" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20230404151348/https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/delivery-plan-for-recovering-urgent-and-emergency-care-services/" class="govuk-link">delivery plan for recovering <abbr title="urgent and emergency care">UEC</abbr> services</a>, published in January 2023, sets a deliverable for all trusts to record the discharge ready date for all inpatient stays as part of the commissioning data set from April 2023. This will be used as the basis for recording delays to discharge at local authority level. It will be used to set a discharge performance metric at local authority level from quarter 3 of 2023 to 2024, contingent on further testing and data quality. <abbr title="integrated care boards">ICBs</abbr>, local authorities and trusts should work together in the first 6 months of the year to ensure that the new discharge ready date field is being completed and reviewed. Further guidance, including on setting a metric, will be published ahead of winter 2023.</p> <h3 id="bcf-metrics-for-2023-to-2025"> <abbr title="Better Care Fund">BCF</abbr> metrics for 2023 to 2025</h3> <h4 id="provide-people-with-the-right-care-at-the-right-place-at-the-right-time">Provide people with the right care, at the right place, at the right time</h4> <p>In 2023 to 2024:</p> <ul> <li>discharge to usual places of residence</li> <li>new: discharge metric ahead of winter 2023</li> </ul> <p>In 2024 to 2025:</p> <ul> <li>discharge to usual places of residence</li> <li>new: discharge metric ahead of winter 2023</li> <li>new: proportion of people discharged who are still at home after 91 days</li> </ul> <h4 id="enabling-people-to-stay-well-safe-and-independent-for-longer">Enabling people to stay well, safe and independent for longer</h4> <p>In 2023 to 2024:</p> <ul> <li>admissions to residential and care homes</li> <li>unplanned admissions for ambulatory sensitive chronic conditions</li> <li>the proportion of older people who were still at home 91 days after discharge from hospital into reablement or rehabilitation services</li> <li>new: emergency hospital admissions due to falls in people over 65</li> </ul> <p>In 2024 to 2025:</p> <ul> <li>admissions to residential and care homes</li> <li>unplanned admissions for ambulatory sensitive chronic conditions</li> <li>emergency hospital admissions due to falls in people over 65</li> <li>new: outcomes following short-term support to maximise independence</li> </ul> <p>Further detail is set out in the planning requirements.</p> <h2 id="planning-and-assurance-of-bcf-plans-for-2023-to-2024-and-2024-to-2025">Planning and assurance of <abbr title="Better Care Fund">BCF</abbr> plans for 2023 to 2024 and 2024 to 2025</h2> <p>The planning and assurance process will be set out in the following stages:</p> <h3 id="plan-development">Plan development</h3> <p>Plans will be developed locally in <abbr title="health and wellbeing board">HWB</abbr> areas by the relevant local authority and health commissioners. Plans must be agreed by the <abbr title="integrated care board">ICB</abbr> (in accordance with <abbr title="integrated care board">ICB</abbr> governance rules) and the local authority chief executive, prior to being signed off by the <abbr title="health and wellbeing board">HWB</abbr>. <abbr title="Better Care Fund">BCF</abbr> partners will need to submit a narrative plan and a planning template, providing details of expenditure from <abbr title="Better Care Fund">BCF</abbr> funding sources, capacity and demand, as well as ambitions and delivery plans for <abbr title="Better Care Fund">BCF</abbr> metrics, signed off by the <abbr title="health and wellbeing board">HWB</abbr>.</p> <h3 id="assurance-and-approval">Assurance and approval</h3> <p><abbr title="Better Care Fund">BCF</abbr> plans will be assured and moderated regionally, as well as calibrated across regions. Following this, plans will be put forward for approval by <abbr title="NHS England">NHSE</abbr>, in consultation with <abbr title="Department of Health and Social Care">DHSC</abbr> and <abbr title="DLUHC Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities">DLUHC</abbr>.</p> <h3 id="reporting-and-checkpoints">Reporting and checkpoints</h3> <p>We will collect spend and activity data on a quarterly basis, and will monitor local performance data on a monthly (or more frequent) basis. During the 2-year cycle, there will be a quarterly reporting process where areas will be required to set out progress on delivering their plans. We will use this data to identify areas that may require support, putting in place necessary support or escalation. More information on support is set out in the next section. Reporting in relation to the Discharge Funding will be confirmed as soon as possible.</p> <h3 id="plans-for-2023-to-2025">Plans for 2023 to 2025</h3> <p>Plans will be required to provide additional information on the activity delivered with <abbr title="Better Care Fund">BCF</abbr> funding and estimates of <abbr title="Better Care Fund">BCF</abbr> spending as a portion of overall spending on key service areas.</p> <p>Further information is set out in the <abbr title="Better Care Fund">BCF</abbr> planning requirements for 2023 to 2025. The planning requirements are also an annex to the NHS priorities and operational planning guidance for 2023 to 2024.</p> <h2 id="national-bcf-support-offer">National <abbr title="Better Care Fund">BCF</abbr> support offer</h2> <p>We will provide support to areas in achieving these priorities over the next 2 years, both via Better Care managers, and via the <abbr title="Better Care Fund">BCF</abbr> Support Programme delivered by the Local Government Association (LGA) in partnership with the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) and Newton Europe.</p> <p>The programme will offer a range of bespoke support to local areas. This will be targeted where local performance data indicates issues that particular areas are facing, and also tailored where local areas request support based on a particular need. 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src="/web/20230404151348js_/https://www.gov.uk/assets/government-frontend/application-0189f4a506bb5e2d3c9f06db1c709c81297860cb682b1cc4a0da52137b0e5c1a.js"></script><script type="application/ld+json"> { "@context": "http://web.archive.org/web/20230404151348/http://schema.org", "@type": "FAQPage", "mainEntityOfPage": { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "http://web.archive.org/web/20230404151348/https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/better-care-fund-policy-framework-2023-to-2025/2023-to-2025-better-care-fund-policy-framework" }, "name": "2023 to 2025 Better Care Fund policy framework", "datePublished": "2023-04-04T11:05:34.000+00:00", "dateModified": "2023-03-31T11:06:54.000+00:00", "text": null, "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "GOV.UK", "url": "http://web.archive.org/web/20230404151348/https://www.gov.uk", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": 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"http://web.archive.org/web/20230404151348/https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-of-health-and-social-care" }, "mainEntity": [ { "@type": "Question", "name": "Introduction", "url": "http://web.archive.org/web/20230404151348/https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/better-care-fund-policy-framework-2023-to-2025/2023-to-2025-better-care-fund-policy-framework#introduction", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "url": "http://web.archive.org/web/20230404151348/https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/better-care-fund-policy-framework-2023-to-2025/2023-to-2025-better-care-fund-policy-framework#introduction", "text": "\u003cp\u003eThis policy framework confirms the conditions and funding for the Better Care Fund (\u003cabbr title=\"Better Care Fund\"\u003eBCF\u003c/abbr\u003e) for 2023 to 2025.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSince 2015, the \u003cabbr title=\"Better Care Fund\"\u003eBCF\u003c/abbr\u003e has been crucial in supporting people to live healthy, independent and dignified lives, through joining up health, social care and housing services seamlessly around the person. This vision is underpinned by 2 core objectives, to:\u003c/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eenable people to stay well, safe and independent at home for longer\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eprovide people with the right care, at the right place, at the right time\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe \u003cabbr title=\"Better Care Fund\"\u003eBCF\u003c/abbr\u003e achieves this by requiring integrated care boards (\u003cabbr title=\"integrated care boards\"\u003eICBs\u003c/abbr\u003e) and local government to agree a joint plan, owned by the health and wellbeing board (\u003cabbr title=\"health and wellbeing board\"\u003eHWB\u003c/abbr\u003e), governed by an agreement under section 75 of the NHS Act (2006). This continues to provide an important framework in bringing local NHS services and local government together to tackle pressures faced across the health and social care system and drive better outcomes for people. 94% of local areas agreed that joint working had improved as a result of the \u003cabbr title=\"Better Care Fund\"\u003eBCF\u003c/abbr\u003e in 2021 to 2022.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe \u003cabbr title=\"Better Care Fund\"\u003eBCF\u003c/abbr\u003e programme underpins key priorities in the NHS Long Term Plan by joining up services in the community and the government’s \u003ca rel=\"external\" href=\"https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/delivery-plan-for-recovering-urgent-and-emergency-care-services/\" class=\"govuk-link\"\u003eplan for recovering urgent and emergency care (\u003cabbr title=\"urgent and emergency care\"\u003eUEC\u003c/abbr\u003e) services\u003c/a\u003e, as well as supporting the delivery of \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/adult-social-care-system-reform-next-steps-to-put-people-at-the-heart-of-care\" class=\"govuk-link\"\u003eNext steps to put People at the Heart of Care\u003c/a\u003e. The \u003cabbr title=\"Better Care Fund\"\u003eBCF\u003c/abbr\u003e facilitates the smooth transition of people out of hospital, reduces the chances of re-admission, and supports people to avoid long term residential care. The \u003cabbr title=\"Better Care Fund\"\u003eBCF\u003c/abbr\u003e is also a vehicle for wider joining up of services across health and local government, such as support for unpaid carers, housing support and public health.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe want local areas to continue to deliver more joined-up care across health and social care, with greater certainty to plan the use of \u003cabbr title=\"Better Care Fund\"\u003eBCF\u003c/abbr\u003e funding over a 2-year cycle. The delivery of the \u003cabbr title=\"Better Care Fund\"\u003eBCF\u003c/abbr\u003e will support 2 key priorities for the health and care system that align with the 2 existing \u003cabbr title=\"Better Care Fund\"\u003eBCF\u003c/abbr\u003e objectives:\u003c/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eimproving overall quality of life for people, and reducing pressure on \u003cabbr title=\"urgent and emergency care\"\u003eUEC\u003c/abbr\u003e, acute and social care services through investing in preventative services\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003etackling delayed discharge and bringing about sustained improvements in discharge outcomes and wider system flow - these are set out in the ‘\u003cabbr title=\"Better Care Fund\"\u003eBCF\u003c/abbr\u003e objectives and priorities for 2023 to 2025’ section below\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe will support local areas’ delivery of the above objectives through additional funding over the 2 years. This includes a 5.66% increase to the NHS minimum contribution into the \u003cabbr title=\"Better Care Fund\"\u003eBCF\u003c/abbr\u003e each year, and an extra £1.6 billion to support hospital discharge. In addition, it is our intention that the £102 million new funding to support adaptations announced in ‘Next steps to put People at the Heart of Care’ will be disbursed as an additional tranche of the Disabled Facilities Grant (\u003cabbr title=\"Disabled Facilities Grant\"\u003eDFG\u003c/abbr\u003e) funding - we will confirm the position in due course. We will also continue to offer bespoke support to help areas deliver these priorities through their \u003cabbr title=\"Better Care Fund\"\u003eBCF\u003c/abbr\u003e plans.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTo improve transparency and clarity of \u003cabbr title=\"Better Care Fund\"\u003eBCF\u003c/abbr\u003e spending against \u003cabbr title=\"Better Care Fund\"\u003eBCF\u003c/abbr\u003e objectives, reporting for 2023 to 2025 has also been refreshed to include the collection of activity data, refreshed metrics and updated spending categories.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA summary of funding, national conditions and the planning process is set out in this document, with further detail available in the planning requirements.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch3 id=\"bcf-objectives-and-priorities-for-2023-to-2025\"\u003e\n\u003cabbr title=\"Better Care Fund\"\u003eBCF\u003c/abbr\u003e objectives and priorities for 2023 to 2025\u003c/h3\u003e\u003ch4 id=\"objective-1-to-enable-people-to-stay-well-safe-and-independent-at-home-for-longer\"\u003eObjective 1: to enable people to stay well, safe and independent at home for longer\u003c/h4\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe priorities for health and social care are to improve quality of life and reduce pressure on \u003cabbr title=\"urgent and emergency care\"\u003eUEC\u003c/abbr\u003e, acute and social care services.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis will be achieved through various mechanisms, including:\u003c/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n \u003cli\u003ecollaborative working with the voluntary, housing and independent provider sectors\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003einvestment in a range of preventative, community health and housing services\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003esupporting unpaid carers\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\u003ch4 id=\"objective-2-to-provide-people-with-the-right-care-at-the-right-place-at-the-right-time\"\u003eObjective 2: to provide people with the right care, at the right place, at the right time.\u003c/h4\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe priorities for health and social care are to tackle immediate pressures in delayed discharges and demand for hospital attendances and admissions, bringing about sustained improvements in outcomes for people discharged from hospital, and wider system flow.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis will be achieved by embedding strong joint working between the NHS, local government and the voluntary, housing and independent provider sectors.\u003c/p\u003e" } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Funding", "url": "http://web.archive.org/web/20230404151348/https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/better-care-fund-policy-framework-2023-to-2025/2023-to-2025-better-care-fund-policy-framework#funding", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "url": "http://web.archive.org/web/20230404151348/https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/better-care-fund-policy-framework-2023-to-2025/2023-to-2025-better-care-fund-policy-framework#funding", "text": "\u003cp\u003eDetails for the minimum contributions to the \u003cabbr title=\"Better Care Fund\"\u003eBCF\u003c/abbr\u003e for 2023 to 2025 are set out below. This includes the additional £1.6 billion funding for supporting hospital discharge.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTable 1: minimum contributions to the \u003cabbr title=\"Better Care Fund\"\u003eBCF\u003c/abbr\u003e in 2023 to 2024 and 2024 to 2025\u003c/p\u003e\u003ctable\u003e\n \u003cthead\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003cth scope=\"col\"\u003e\n\u003cabbr title=\"Better Care Fund\"\u003eBCF\u003c/abbr\u003e funding contributions\u003c/th\u003e\n \u003cth scope=\"col\" class=\"cell-text-right\"\u003e2023 to 2024 (£m)\u003c/th\u003e\n \u003cth scope=\"col\" class=\"cell-text-right\"\u003e2024 to 2025 (£m)\u003c/th\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/thead\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003cth scope=\"row\"\u003e Minimum NHS contribution\u003c/th\u003e\n \u003ctd class=\"cell-text-right\"\u003e4,759\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd class=\"cell-text-right\"\u003e5,029\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003cth scope=\"row\"\u003e Improved Better Care Fund (\u003cabbr title=\"improved Better Care Fund\"\u003eiBCF\u003c/abbr\u003e)\u003c/th\u003e\n \u003ctd class=\"cell-text-right\"\u003e2,140\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd class=\"cell-text-right\"\u003e2,140 (TBC)\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003cth scope=\"row\"\u003e Disabled Facilities Grant (\u003cabbr title=\"Disabled Facilities Grant\"\u003eDFG\u003c/abbr\u003e)\u003c/th\u003e\n \u003ctd class=\"cell-text-right\"\u003e573\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd class=\"cell-text-right\"\u003e573\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003cth scope=\"row\"\u003e Discharge funding\u003c/th\u003e\n \u003ctd class=\"cell-text-right\"\u003e600\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd class=\"cell-text-right\"\u003e1,000\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003cth scope=\"row\"\u003e Grand total\u003c/th\u003e\n \u003ctd class=\"cell-text-right\"\u003e8,072 (+4.6%)\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd class=\"cell-text-right\"\u003e8,741 (+8.3%)\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n\u003c/table\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe flexibility of local areas to pool more funding than the mandatory amounts will remain. In 2022 to 2023, \u003cabbr title=\"integrated care boards\"\u003eICBs\u003c/abbr\u003e, local authorities or both contributed a total of £2.8 billion in additional funding in over 100 \u003cabbr title=\"health and wellbeing boards\"\u003eHWBs\u003c/abbr\u003e. Through \u003cabbr title=\"Better Care Fund\"\u003eBCF\u003c/abbr\u003e planning, where areas are assured that voluntary pooling provides value for money, they may wish to build on their minimum contributions.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch3 id=\"nhs-minimum-contribution-to-the-bcf\"\u003eNHS minimum contribution to the \u003cabbr title=\"Better Care Fund\"\u003eBCF\u003c/abbr\u003e\n\u003c/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eAllocations from the NHS minimum contribution for each \u003cabbr title=\"integrated care board\"\u003eICB\u003c/abbr\u003e and \u003cabbr title=\"health and wellbeing board\"\u003eHWB\u003c/abbr\u003e are published on the NHS England (\u003cabbr title=\"NHS England\"\u003eNHSE\u003c/abbr\u003e) website.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn order to spend this funding, areas must have their \u003cabbr title=\"Better Care Fund\"\u003eBCF\u003c/abbr\u003e plans approved, by meeting the 4 national conditions set out in \u003cabbr title=\"Better Care Fund\"\u003eBCF\u003c/abbr\u003e national conditions and metrics for 2023 to 2025. We expect \u003cabbr title=\"Better Care Fund\"\u003eBCF\u003c/abbr\u003e plans to be submitted by 28 June 2023 and for plans to be approved by 8 September 2023. More detail is set out in the planning requirements.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs in previous years, the NHS contribution to the \u003cabbr title=\"Better Care Fund\"\u003eBCF\u003c/abbr\u003e will include funding to support the policies introduced under the Care Act 2014, as well as funding previously earmarked for the provision of carers’ breaks. This is set out in the planning requirements. In particular, the way services and local areas work in partnership with and support unpaid carers is critical. To drive this, local areas will be asked to provide a brief overview in their narrative plans of how \u003cabbr title=\"Better Care Fund\"\u003eBCF\u003c/abbr\u003e funding is supporting unpaid carers. This supports the government’s recent commitments on empowering unpaid carers as set out in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/people-at-the-heart-of-care-adult-social-care-reform-white-paper\" class=\"govuk-link\"\u003eadult social care reform white paper: People at the Heart of Care\u003c/a\u003e and more recently in ‘Next steps to put People at the Heart of Care’.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFunding previously earmarked for reablement also remains in the NHS contribution. Local areas should consider how to align their local plans with the ambitions and opportunities to scale up intermediate care, as outlined in the delivery plan for recovering urgent and emergency care services.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has published the \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-health-service-expenditure-on-service-integration-directions\" class=\"govuk-link\"\u003eNational Health Service (Expenditure on Service Integration) Directions 2023\u003c/a\u003e to \u003cabbr title=\"NHS England\"\u003eNHSE\u003c/abbr\u003e under section 223B of the NHS Act 2006 to ringfence £5,059 million to form the NHS contribution to the \u003cabbr title=\"Better Care Fund\"\u003eBCF\u003c/abbr\u003e in 2023 to 2024. That figure includes additional funding for discharge via \u003cabbr title=\"integrated care boards\"\u003eICBs\u003c/abbr\u003e (£300 million) in 2023 to 2024 and more detail on this funding is provided in the ‘Discharge Fund’ section and in the planning requirements. The planning requirements document, which is published by \u003cabbr title=\"NHS England\"\u003eNHSE\u003c/abbr\u003e, contains directions from \u003cabbr title=\"NHS England\"\u003eNHSE\u003c/abbr\u003e to \u003cabbr title=\"integrated care boards\"\u003eICBs\u003c/abbr\u003e under section 223GA of the 2006 Act relating to the funding allocated to them, including the conditions that must be met by \u003cabbr title=\"integrated care boards\"\u003eICBs\u003c/abbr\u003e relating to the receipt and use of such funding. These conditions ensure that this funding is being spent in accordance with the policy framework.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cabbr title=\"NHS England\"\u003eNHSE\u003c/abbr\u003e will consider taking action, including in accordance with its powers under section 223GA(5) of the NHS Act 2006, in consultation with the Department of Health and Social Care (\u003cabbr title=\"Department of Health and Social Care\"\u003eDHSC\u003c/abbr\u003e) and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (\u003cabbr title=\"DLUHC Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities\"\u003eDLUHC\u003c/abbr\u003e), where the national conditions are not met. These considerations do not apply to the amounts paid directly to local authorities from government.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch3 id=\"disabled-facilities-grant-dfg\"\u003eDisabled Facilities Grant (\u003cabbr title=\"Disabled Facilities Grant\"\u003eDFG\u003c/abbr\u003e)\u003c/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eHousing adaptations, including those delivered through the \u003cabbr title=\"Disabled Facilities Grant\"\u003eDFG\u003c/abbr\u003e, support the \u003cabbr title=\"Better Care Fund\"\u003eBCF\u003c/abbr\u003e objectives by helping towards the costs of making changes to people’s homes to enable them to stay well, safe and independent at home for longer.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFunding for the \u003cabbr title=\"Disabled Facilities Grant\"\u003eDFG\u003c/abbr\u003e is at least £573 million in 2023 to 2024 and at least £573 million in 2024 to 2025, as set out in the People at the Heart of Care white paper. In addition, Next steps to put People at the Heart of Care announced a further £102 million (£50 million in 2023 to 2024 and £52 million in 2024 to 2025) to fund supplementary services that are agile and help people stay independent, support hospital discharge and make minor adaptations.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt is currently our intention to distribute this as an additional tranche of \u003cabbr title=\"Disabled Facilities Grant\"\u003eDFG\u003c/abbr\u003e funding, in order that local housing authorities can use flexibilities already available to them to fund those services. Further information and confirmation of the position will follow in due course.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe \u003cabbr title=\"Disabled Facilities Grant\"\u003eDFG\u003c/abbr\u003e funding is paid to local government via a section 31 grant. The \u003cabbr title=\"Disabled Facilities Grant\"\u003eDFG\u003c/abbr\u003e capital grant must be spent in accordance with an approved joint \u003cabbr title=\"Better Care Fund\"\u003eBCF\u003c/abbr\u003e plan, developed in keeping with this policy framework and the planning requirements. In line with national condition 2 (implementing \u003cabbr title=\"Better Care Fund\"\u003eBCF\u003c/abbr\u003e policy objective 1: enabling people to stay well, safe and independent at home for longer), we will ask areas to set out in their \u003cabbr title=\"Better Care Fund\"\u003eBCF\u003c/abbr\u003e plans how the \u003cabbr title=\"Disabled Facilities Grant\"\u003eDFG\u003c/abbr\u003e is being used strategically to achieve the 2 objectives.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs in previous years, in 2-tier areas, decisions around the use of the \u003cabbr title=\"Disabled Facilities Grant\"\u003eDFG\u003c/abbr\u003e funding will need to be made with the direct involvement of both tiers of local government (county and district councils) working jointly to support integration ambitions. Full details of both the core funding and the additional reform funding will be set out in respective \u003cabbr title=\"Disabled Facilities Grant\"\u003eDFG\u003c/abbr\u003e grant determination letters, which will be published over the coming months.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe government published updated \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/disabled-facilities-grant-dfg-delivery-guidance-for-local-authorities-in-england\" class=\"govuk-link\"\u003eguidance for local authorities\u003c/a\u003e on 28 March 2022 that sets out how they can effectively and efficiently deliver \u003cabbr title=\"Disabled Facilities Grant\"\u003eDFG\u003c/abbr\u003e funded adaptations to best serve the needs of local older and disabled people. This guidance highlights how housing authorities can use government funding for the \u003cabbr title=\"Disabled Facilities Grant\"\u003eDFG\u003c/abbr\u003e more flexibly under the Regulatory Reform (Housing Assistance) (England and Wales) Order 2002 (\u003cabbr title=\"Regulatory Reform (Housing Assistance) (England and Wales) Order 2002\"\u003eRRO\u003c/abbr\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLocal housing authorities should take advantage of these flexibilities to develop and publish a Housing Assistance Policy under the \u003cabbr title=\"Regulatory Reform (Housing Assistance) (England and Wales) Order 2002\"\u003eRRO\u003c/abbr\u003e to help people to live independently. Policies can include measures to speed up \u003cabbr title=\"Disabled Facilities Grant\"\u003eDFG\u003c/abbr\u003e delivery - for example, a local authority could develop a simplified system to deliver small-scale adaptations more quickly. Policies can also establish schemes to support rapid discharge of people from hospital, or to prevent admission to hospital or residential care.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch3 id=\"improved-better-care-fund-ibcf\"\u003eImproved Better Care Fund (\u003cabbr title=\"improved Better Care Fund\"\u003eiBCF\u003c/abbr\u003e)\u003c/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe total allocation of the \u003cabbr title=\"improved Better Care Fund\"\u003eiBCF\u003c/abbr\u003e in 2023 to 2024 is £2.14 billion. The \u003cabbr title=\"improved Better Care Fund\"\u003eiBCF\u003c/abbr\u003e grant allocations were confirmed alongside the publication of the final Local Government Finance Settlement on 6 February 2023. Full details are set out in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/social-care-funding-grant-determination-for-2023-to-2024\" class=\"govuk-link\"\u003egrant determination letter\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs in previous years, a core condition is that the grant is pooled into local areas’ \u003cabbr title=\"Better Care Fund\"\u003eBCF\u003c/abbr\u003e plans. This funding does not replace, and must not be offset against, the NHS minimum contribution to adult social care.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe value of the \u003cabbr title=\"improved Better Care Fund\"\u003eiBCF\u003c/abbr\u003e in 2024 to 2025 is indicative only. Final decisions on the 2024 to 2025 \u003cabbr title=\"improved Better Care Fund\"\u003eiBCF\u003c/abbr\u003e (including allocations) will be made, and full details published, as part of the 2024 to 2025 Local Government Finance Settlement. For planning purposes, pending those decisions, areas should plan on the basis that allocations will be consistent with the approach taken in 2023 to 2024.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch3 id=\"discharge-fund\"\u003eDischarge Fund\u003c/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe 2022 autumn statement announced that a further £600 million will be distributed in 2023 to 2024 and £1 billion in 2024 to 2025 through the \u003cabbr title=\"Better Care Fund\"\u003eBCF\u003c/abbr\u003e to support safe and timely discharge from hospital to home or an appropriate community setting. This builds on the £500 million injection into the \u003cabbr title=\"Better Care Fund\"\u003eBCF\u003c/abbr\u003e last year to speed the safe discharge of individuals over winter.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn 2023 to 2024, the discharge fund will focus on growing social care capacity in ways that have the greatest possible impact on:\u003c/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n \u003cli\u003ereducing delayed hospital discharges\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eplanning services sufficiently far in advance to enable providers to make appropriate workforce capacity plans\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003elearning from evaluation of the impact of previous discharge funding\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eimproving collaboration and information sharing across health and social care services\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eFull details of the 2023 to 2024 Discharge Fund conditions are outlined in the planning requirements.\u003c/p\u003e" } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "\nBCF national conditions and metrics for 2023 to 2025", "url": "http://web.archive.org/web/20230404151348/https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/better-care-fund-policy-framework-2023-to-2025/2023-to-2025-better-care-fund-policy-framework#bcf-national-conditions-and-metrics-for-2023-to-2025", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "url": "http://web.archive.org/web/20230404151348/https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/better-care-fund-policy-framework-2023-to-2025/2023-to-2025-better-care-fund-policy-framework#bcf-national-conditions-and-metrics-for-2023-to-2025", "text": "\u003cp\u003eThe national conditions for the \u003cabbr title=\"Better Care Fund\"\u003eBCF\u003c/abbr\u003e in 2023 to 2025 are:\u003c/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n \u003cli\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ea jointly agreed plan between local health and social care commissioners, signed off by the \u003cabbr title=\"health and wellbeing board\"\u003eHWB\u003c/abbr\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eimplementing \u003cabbr title=\"Better Care Fund\"\u003eBCF\u003c/abbr\u003e policy objective 1: enabling people to stay well, safe and independent at home for longer\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eimplementing \u003cabbr title=\"Better Care Fund\"\u003eBCF\u003c/abbr\u003e policy objective 2: providing the right care, at the right place, at the right time\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003e\n \u003cp\u003emaintaining the NHS’s contribution to adult social care (in line with the uplift to the NHS minimum contribution to the \u003cabbr title=\"Better Care Fund\"\u003eBCF\u003c/abbr\u003e), and investment in NHS commissioned out of hospital services\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\u003ch3 id=\"national-condition-1-a-jointly-agreed-plan-between-local-health-and-social-care-commissioners-and-signed-off-by-the-hwb\"\u003eNational condition 1: a jointly agreed plan between local health and social care commissioners and signed off by the \u003cabbr title=\"health and wellbeing board\"\u003eHWB\u003c/abbr\u003e\n\u003c/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe local authority and \u003cabbr title=\"integrated care boards\"\u003eICBs\u003c/abbr\u003e must agree a plan for their \u003cabbr title=\"health and wellbeing board\"\u003eHWB\u003c/abbr\u003e area that includes:\u003c/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eagreement on use of mandatory \u003cabbr title=\"Better Care Fund\"\u003eBCF\u003c/abbr\u003e funding streams\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003ean assessment of capacity and demand for intermediate care services\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eambitions for making progress against the national metrics\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe plan must be signed off by the \u003cabbr title=\"health and wellbeing board\"\u003eHWB\u003c/abbr\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cabbr title=\"Better Care Fund\"\u003eBCF\u003c/abbr\u003e plans should set out a joined-up approach to integrated, person-centred services including unpaid carers across local health, care, housing and wider public services. They should include arrangements for joint commissioning, and an agreed approach for making progress towards the 2 policy objectives as part of the \u003cabbr title=\"health and wellbeing board\"\u003eHWB\u003c/abbr\u003e area’s response to national conditions 2 and 3. This should confirm how \u003cabbr title=\"Better Care Fund\"\u003eBCF\u003c/abbr\u003e funding will support this work, and how this will improve performance on the national metrics.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMore detailed guidance can be found in the planning requirements.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch3 id=\"national-condition-2-implementing-bcf-policy-objective-1-enabling-people-to-stay-well-safe-and-independent-at-home-for-longer\"\u003eNational condition 2: implementing \u003cabbr title=\"Better Care Fund\"\u003eBCF\u003c/abbr\u003e policy objective 1: enabling people to stay well, safe and independent at home for longer\u003c/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis national condition requires areas to agree a joint plan to deliver health and social care services that support improved outcomes against the fund’s first policy objective.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn meeting the first objective, areas should continue to focus on promoting people’s independence in the community and, in particular, addressing the health, social care and housing needs of those who are at risk of reduced independence. This focus should include how integrated provision of health and social care, and support for unpaid carers will contribute to outcomes related to metrics on admission to residential care and avoidable admissions to hospital. Commissioners should agree how services delivered via \u003cabbr title=\"Better Care Fund\"\u003eBCF\u003c/abbr\u003e funding sources will support this objective.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn developing plans, local systems should draw on the High Impact Change Models for \u003ca rel=\"external\" href=\"https://www.local.gov.uk/our-support/partners-care-and-health/care-and-health-improvement/working-hospitals/reducing-preventable-admissions\" class=\"govuk-link\"\u003eReducing preventable admissions to hospital and long-term care\u003c/a\u003e and \u003ca rel=\"external\" href=\"https://www.local.gov.uk/publications/improving-health-and-wellbeing-through-housing-high-impact-change-model\" class=\"govuk-link\"\u003eImproving health and wellbeing through housing\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch3 id=\"national-condition-3-implementing-bcf-policy-objective-2-providing-the-right-care-at-the-right-place-at-the-right-time\"\u003eNational condition 3: implementing \u003cabbr title=\"Better Care Fund\"\u003eBCF\u003c/abbr\u003e policy objective 2: providing the right care, at the right place, at the right time\u003c/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis national condition requires areas to agree a joint plan to deliver health and social care services that support improvement in outcomes against the fund’s second policy objective.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn meeting the second objective, areas should continue to focus on making sure that people are discharged to the right place, at the right time, and with the right support that maximises their independence and leads to the best possible sustainable outcomes. This includes continued implementation of the \u003ca rel=\"external\" href=\"https://www.local.gov.uk/our-support/partners-care-and-health/care-and-health-improvement/working-hospitals/managing-transfers-of-care/about\" class=\"govuk-link\"\u003eHigh Impact Change Model for transfers of care\u003c/a\u003e, which has been integral to meeting \u003cabbr title=\"Better Care Fund\"\u003eBCF\u003c/abbr\u003e requirements around supporting discharge and guidance on hospital discharge and community support since 2017, and is regularly reviewed. Delivery of this objective will support the \u003ca rel=\"external\" href=\"https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/delivery-plan-for-recovering-urgent-and-emergency-care-services/\" class=\"govuk-link\"\u003e\u003cabbr title=\"urgent and emergency care\"\u003eUEC\u003c/abbr\u003e recovery plan\u003c/a\u003e in ensuring people are not in hospital for longer than necessary and to support system flow through improving joint discharge processes, and scaling up intermediate care and social care services.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch4 id=\"intermediate-care-capacity-and-demand-plans\"\u003eIntermediate care capacity and demand plans\u003c/h4\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs in 2022 to 2023, local areas will be required to agree and submit a plan showing:\u003c/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eexpected demand for intermediate care services (and other short-term care) to help people to remain independent at home (including support aimed at avoiding unnecessary hospital admissions and support following discharge from hospital)\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eservices to support this recovery (including rehabilitation and reablement)\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eexpected capacity in the \u003cabbr title=\"health and wellbeing board\"\u003eHWB\u003c/abbr\u003e area to meet this demand\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe intermediate care capacity and demand plans should cover all intermediate care services (and other short-term care) across the local system. There is no requirement that the \u003cabbr title=\"Better Care Fund\"\u003eBCF\u003c/abbr\u003e should be used to fund all services within the capacity and demand plan. These capacity and demand plans should also complement and build on the capacity and demand sections of \u003cabbr title=\"urgent and emergency care\"\u003eUEC\u003c/abbr\u003e returns in the NHS planning returns - mapped to local authority area, as well as wider capacity and demand planning initiatives such as those through the Market Sustainability and Improvement Fund. As is the case with wider \u003cabbr title=\"Better Care Fund\"\u003eBCF\u003c/abbr\u003e plans, it is expected that acute trusts and other providers are involved in the development of these plans. Guidance on this is provided in the \u003cabbr title=\"Better Care Fund\"\u003eBCF\u003c/abbr\u003e planning requirements, and templates can be found on the \u003ca rel=\"external\" href=\"https://www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/part-rel/transformation-fund/better-care-fund/the-better-care-exchange/\" class=\"govuk-link\"\u003eBetter Care Exchange\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch3 id=\"national-condition-4-maintaining-nhs-contribution-to-adult-social-care-in-line-with-the-uplift-to-the-nhs-minimum-contribution-to-the-bcf-and-investment-in-nhs-commissioned-out-of-hospital-services\"\u003eNational condition 4: maintaining NHS contribution to adult social care (in line with the uplift to the NHS minimum contribution to the \u003cabbr title=\"Better Care Fund\"\u003eBCF\u003c/abbr\u003e) and investment in NHS commissioned out of hospital services\u003c/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe 2021 spending review confirmed the NHS minimum contribution to the \u003cabbr title=\"Better Care Fund\"\u003eBCF\u003c/abbr\u003e will rise in actual terms by 5.66% each year from 2022 to 2025. Minimum contributions to social care will also increase by 5.66%. The minimum expectation of spending for each \u003cabbr title=\"health and wellbeing board\"\u003eHWB\u003c/abbr\u003e area is derived by applying the percentage increase in the NHS minimum contribution to the \u003cabbr title=\"Better Care Fund\"\u003eBCF\u003c/abbr\u003e for the area to the 2022 to 2023 minimum social care maintenance figure for the \u003cabbr title=\"health and wellbeing board\"\u003eHWB\u003c/abbr\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThese minimum expectations will be published alongside the \u003cabbr title=\"Better Care Fund\"\u003eBCF\u003c/abbr\u003e planning requirements. \u003cabbr title=\"health and wellbeing boards\"\u003eHWBs\u003c/abbr\u003e should review spending on social care, funded by the NHS minimum contribution to the \u003cabbr title=\"Better Care Fund\"\u003eBCF\u003c/abbr\u003e, to ensure the minimum expectations are met, in line with the national condition.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cabbr title=\"Better Care Fund\"\u003eBCF\u003c/abbr\u003e narrative plans should also set out the approach to investing in NHS out of hospital services locally, and how health and local authority partners will work together to deliver it. Expenditure plans should show the schemes that are being commissioned from \u003cabbr title=\"Better Care Fund\"\u003eBCF\u003c/abbr\u003e funding sources to support this condition.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch3 id=\"metrics\"\u003eMetrics\u003c/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eBeyond the 4 conditions (and grant conditions), areas have flexibility in how the fund is spent across health, care and housing schemes or services, but need to agree ambitions on how this spending will improve performance against the \u003cabbr title=\"Better Care Fund\"\u003eBCF\u003c/abbr\u003e 2023 to 2025 metrics set out below. We have revised the metrics this year to consider a wider range of metrics, which reflect the objectives of the \u003cabbr title=\"Better Care Fund\"\u003eBCF\u003c/abbr\u003e and improvements to data collections over the next 12 months.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA summary of metrics for both years is in the ‘\u003cabbr title=\"Better Care Fund\"\u003eBCF\u003c/abbr\u003e metrics for 2023 to 2025’ section below. Areas will need to agree ambitions and plans for 2023 to 2024 metrics (with the exception of delays to discharge) as part of \u003cabbr title=\"Better Care Fund\"\u003eBCF\u003c/abbr\u003e plans. Ambitions for 2024 to 2025 will be completed by areas in the final quarter of 2023 to 2024.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe \u003ca rel=\"external\" href=\"https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/delivery-plan-for-recovering-urgent-and-emergency-care-services/\" class=\"govuk-link\"\u003edelivery plan for recovering \u003cabbr title=\"urgent and emergency care\"\u003eUEC\u003c/abbr\u003e services\u003c/a\u003e, published in January 2023, sets a deliverable for all trusts to record the discharge ready date for all inpatient stays as part of the commissioning data set from April 2023. This will be used as the basis for recording delays to discharge at local authority level. It will be used to set a discharge performance metric at local authority level from quarter 3 of 2023 to 2024, contingent on further testing and data quality. \u003cabbr title=\"integrated care boards\"\u003eICBs\u003c/abbr\u003e, local authorities and trusts should work together in the first 6 months of the year to ensure that the new discharge ready date field is being completed and reviewed. Further guidance, including on setting a metric, will be published ahead of winter 2023.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch3 id=\"bcf-metrics-for-2023-to-2025\"\u003e\n\u003cabbr title=\"Better Care Fund\"\u003eBCF\u003c/abbr\u003e metrics for 2023 to 2025\u003c/h3\u003e\u003ch4 id=\"provide-people-with-the-right-care-at-the-right-place-at-the-right-time\"\u003eProvide people with the right care, at the right place, at the right time\u003c/h4\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn 2023 to 2024:\u003c/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n \u003cli\u003edischarge to usual places of residence\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003enew: discharge metric ahead of winter 2023\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn 2024 to 2025:\u003c/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n \u003cli\u003edischarge to usual places of residence\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003enew: discharge metric ahead of winter 2023\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003enew: proportion of people discharged who are still at home after 91 days\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\u003ch4 id=\"enabling-people-to-stay-well-safe-and-independent-for-longer\"\u003eEnabling people to stay well, safe and independent for longer\u003c/h4\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn 2023 to 2024:\u003c/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eadmissions to residential and care homes\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eunplanned admissions for ambulatory sensitive chronic conditions\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003ethe proportion of older people who were still at home 91 days after discharge from hospital into reablement or rehabilitation services\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003enew: emergency hospital admissions due to falls in people over 65\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn 2024 to 2025:\u003c/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eadmissions to residential and care homes\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eunplanned admissions for ambulatory sensitive chronic conditions\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eemergency hospital admissions due to falls in people over 65\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003enew: outcomes following short-term support to maximise independence\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eFurther detail is set out in the planning requirements.\u003c/p\u003e" } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Planning and assurance of BCF plans for 2023 to 2024 and 2024 to 2025", "url": "http://web.archive.org/web/20230404151348/https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/better-care-fund-policy-framework-2023-to-2025/2023-to-2025-better-care-fund-policy-framework#planning-and-assurance-of-bcf-plans-for-2023-to-2024-and-2024-to-2025", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "url": "http://web.archive.org/web/20230404151348/https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/better-care-fund-policy-framework-2023-to-2025/2023-to-2025-better-care-fund-policy-framework#planning-and-assurance-of-bcf-plans-for-2023-to-2024-and-2024-to-2025", "text": "\u003cp\u003eThe planning and assurance process will be set out in the following stages:\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch3 id=\"plan-development\"\u003ePlan development\u003c/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003ePlans will be developed locally in \u003cabbr title=\"health and wellbeing board\"\u003eHWB\u003c/abbr\u003e areas by the relevant local authority and health commissioners. Plans must be agreed by the \u003cabbr title=\"integrated care board\"\u003eICB\u003c/abbr\u003e (in accordance with \u003cabbr title=\"integrated care board\"\u003eICB\u003c/abbr\u003e governance rules) and the local authority chief executive, prior to being signed off by the \u003cabbr title=\"health and wellbeing board\"\u003eHWB\u003c/abbr\u003e. \u003cabbr title=\"Better Care Fund\"\u003eBCF\u003c/abbr\u003e partners will need to submit a narrative plan and a planning template, providing details of expenditure from \u003cabbr title=\"Better Care Fund\"\u003eBCF\u003c/abbr\u003e funding sources, capacity and demand, as well as ambitions and delivery plans for \u003cabbr title=\"Better Care Fund\"\u003eBCF\u003c/abbr\u003e metrics, signed off by the \u003cabbr title=\"health and wellbeing board\"\u003eHWB\u003c/abbr\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch3 id=\"assurance-and-approval\"\u003eAssurance and approval\u003c/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cabbr title=\"Better Care Fund\"\u003eBCF\u003c/abbr\u003e plans will be assured and moderated regionally, as well as calibrated across regions. Following this, plans will be put forward for approval by \u003cabbr title=\"NHS England\"\u003eNHSE\u003c/abbr\u003e, in consultation with \u003cabbr title=\"Department of Health and Social Care\"\u003eDHSC\u003c/abbr\u003e and \u003cabbr title=\"DLUHC Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities\"\u003eDLUHC\u003c/abbr\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch3 id=\"reporting-and-checkpoints\"\u003eReporting and checkpoints\u003c/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe will collect spend and activity data on a quarterly basis, and will monitor local performance data on a monthly (or more frequent) basis. During the 2-year cycle, there will be a quarterly reporting process where areas will be required to set out progress on delivering their plans. We will use this data to identify areas that may require support, putting in place necessary support or escalation. More information on support is set out in the next section. Reporting in relation to the Discharge Funding will be confirmed as soon as possible.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch3 id=\"plans-for-2023-to-2025\"\u003ePlans for 2023 to 2025\u003c/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003ePlans will be required to provide additional information on the activity delivered with \u003cabbr title=\"Better Care Fund\"\u003eBCF\u003c/abbr\u003e funding and estimates of \u003cabbr title=\"Better Care Fund\"\u003eBCF\u003c/abbr\u003e spending as a portion of overall spending on key service areas.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFurther information is set out in the \u003cabbr title=\"Better Care Fund\"\u003eBCF\u003c/abbr\u003e planning requirements for 2023 to 2025. The planning requirements are also an annex to the NHS priorities and operational planning guidance for 2023 to 2024.\u003c/p\u003e" } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "National BCF support offer", "url": "http://web.archive.org/web/20230404151348/https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/better-care-fund-policy-framework-2023-to-2025/2023-to-2025-better-care-fund-policy-framework#national-bcf-support-offer", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "url": "http://web.archive.org/web/20230404151348/https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/better-care-fund-policy-framework-2023-to-2025/2023-to-2025-better-care-fund-policy-framework#national-bcf-support-offer", "text": "\u003cp\u003eWe will provide support to areas in achieving these priorities over the next 2 years, both via Better Care managers, and via the \u003cabbr title=\"Better Care Fund\"\u003eBCF\u003c/abbr\u003e Support Programme delivered by the Local Government Association (LGA) in partnership with the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) and Newton Europe.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe programme will offer a range of bespoke support to local areas. This will be targeted where local performance data indicates issues that particular areas are facing, and also tailored where local areas request support based on a particular need. We will co-ordinate and target \u003cabbr title=\"Better Care Fund\"\u003eBCF\u003c/abbr\u003e support, taking into account wider national support mechanisms, including the urgent and emergency care recovery tiered intervention process, and wider joint \u003cabbr title=\"Department of Health and Social Care\"\u003eDHSC\u003c/abbr\u003e and \u003cabbr title=\"NHS England\"\u003eNHSE\u003c/abbr\u003e processes to support better hospital discharge outcomes.\u003c/p\u003e" } } ] } </script><script type="application/ld+json"> { "@context": "http://web.archive.org/web/20230404151348/http://schema.org", "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "name": "Home", "@id": "http://web.archive.org/web/20230404151348/https://www.gov.uk/" } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "item": { "name": "Health and social care", "@id": "http://web.archive.org/web/20230404151348/https://www.gov.uk/health-and-social-care" } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "item": { "name": "Social care", "@id": "http://web.archive.org/web/20230404151348/https://www.gov.uk/health-and-social-care/social-care" } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "item": { "name": "Health and social care integration", "@id": "http://web.archive.org/web/20230404151348/https://www.gov.uk/health-and-social-care/health-and-social-care-integration" } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 5, "item": { "name": "Better Care Fund policy framework 2023 to 2025", "@id": "http://web.archive.org/web/20230404151348/https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/better-care-fund-policy-framework-2023-to-2025" } } ] } </script> </body> </html>

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