Focus on community care sharpens

The government has announced sweeping changes to care received by people with learning disabilities and autism in England in its final response to the abuse and neglect at Winterbourne View hospital. Arguably the most important change is a mandate to NHS commissioning boards to review all current placements by June 2013 with all people who have been placed inappropriately in hospital or large-scale residential care moved to community-based support no later than June 2014. Concious of the funding barriers between health and social care that could stand in the way of rapid change, the government says that they expect pooled funding’ to be used in most cases.