FUNDING for the creation of a community care project in St Helens has been approved.

A delegated decision has been taken by a St Helens Council officer to approve the use of Transformation Funding via Transitional Beds Project and to approve the infrastructure to support the project.

The decision comes after the council made a successful bid for NHS England Transformation Funding via Health and Care Partnership Cheshire and Merseyside.

The project is a component part of the St Helens Place Based Transformational Strategy.

A notice on the council’s website says the project seeks to build on the current service provision at Brookfield Resource Centre and Parr Mount Court Extra Care Housing scheme.

It says the aim of the project is to provide additional transitional tenancies to be commissioned, in the main, from the lead providers – St Helens Council and TORUS Housing.

“The project will create additional capacity for transitional tenancies and prioritises individuals presenting at A&E and the Frailty Service,” the notice says.

“The services provided will be a ‘discharge to assess’ model in order that the individual can receive intensive support with a view to a ‘step down’ service to further care or home.

“Expected outcomes include decreased attendances at A&E, decreased admissions to secondary care, decreased length of stay, timely discharge, improved options of care for service users, improved assessment and planning with provision of community-based services, and improved capacity in the local care system.

“It is expected that this project will link with the approach being taken in regards to the localities model, a key element of St Helens Cares overarching strategy.”

The notice says the project brings together specialists and services across a range of provider organisations and is fully supported and approved by the People’s Board.

It says the project supports St Helens Cares’ approach of a place-based solution and the objective of establishing a lead provider arrangement with St Helens and Knowsley Health Trust, which was reported by the Local Democracy Service last week.

The project is also expected to help develop “efficiencies” to support the financial position of partners and will create dedicated capacity to deliver on the local care system.

It says “careful monitoring” of the risks will be undertaken by a multi-agency project group.

“Funding is required to allow for the creation of community bed capacity until such time that a full evaluation can be undertaken to understand the full impact of the project,” the notice says.

“It is expected that the project will become financially viable and sustainable in the long-term.

“The aim is to develop community-based support services for individuals, in order to enhance capability and capacity within the health and care system, specifically in secondary care.”

Should the project achieve the expected outcomes, it could lead to further expansion of community-based services of the nature detailed above.