Vaughan Gething MS, Minister for Health and Social Services, Julie James MS, Minister for Housing and Local Government and Julie Morgan MS, Deputy Minister for Health and Social Services
This was published under the 2016 to 2021 administration of the Welsh Government
We are pleased to announce a 12 month extension of the Integrated Care Fund (ICF) and Transformation Fund (TF) until April 2022.
The money will be made available through Regional Partnership Boards that bring together health boards, local government and the third sector.
The seven Regional Partnership Boards (RPBs) that administer these funds, are key vehicles for leading Health and Social Care integration and transformation and have a key role to play in ensuring we have an integrated approach to planning and delivery for the coming winter. The projects they have developed to date using the ICF and TF funding have not only become crucial and embedded in supporting the new ways of delivering wider health and social services, but also played a fundamental role in our response to Covid 19.
The hospital to home projects (rapid discharge) and admission avoidance models developed through the ICF and TF, along with the use of digital technology have provided essential services during the pandemic.
The further 12 months funding - £89m ICF revenue and £40m ICF capital, together with £50m revenue for TF, will provide stability for the RPBs and the continuity for key health and care services that will support us through the challenging winter ahead and set firm foundations for our stabilisation and reconstruction phases.
This extended time will also allow us to reinvigorate the transformation programme momentum that had been developing at pace prior to the Covid 19 emergency. For example, the Research, Innovation and Improvement Co-ordination Hubs (RIICH) network recently established across Wales will have a pivotal role to play in the capture and wider adoption of innovative new ways of collaborative working that have emerged during the pandemic. They will also benefit from a further 12 months of funding through this announcement.
This statement is being issued during recess in order to keep members informed. Should members wish us to make a further statement, or to answer questions on this when the Senedd returns, we would be happy to do so.