The Better Care Fund has been increased this year to continue driving integration between the health and social care system and support local recovery from the pandemic.

More than £6.9 billion has been committed to help people to stay at home and live independently as far as possible, to minimise the time spent in hospital, and to help them recover after they leave hospital by enabling access to care and support services if needed.

The fund will be a minimum of £6.9 billion in 2021-22, including £4.3 billion of NHS funding and £2.1 billion from the improved Better Care Fund (iBCF) grant to local authorities and £573 million from the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG).

The NHS contribution to the BCF is increasing by 5.3 per cent  in line with the NHS Long Term Plan settlement, and the iBCF and DFG are being maintained at their 2020-21 levels.

The government says that the response to the pandemic has demonstrated how joint approaches to the well-being of people, between health, social care and the wider public sector can be effective even in the most difficult circumstances. By placing Integrated Care Systems (ICS) on a statutory footing, more power and autonomy will be embedded in the hands of local systems, to deliver seamless health and social care services.