Between the lines: a breakthrough budget for people facing multiple needs?
Local government has got used to bad news in the budget. For many, the Chancellor’s latest offering will not look much different, with £30 billion in further public spending cuts earmarked for the next parliament. However, look beyond the headlines and there are some specific pledges and initiatives that could help to improve services for the most vulnerable people.
The proposal to integrate services for people facing multiple and complex needs is particularly interesting. Citing recent research from LankellyChase Foundation, the government commit to“assessing the scope to reduce the estimated £4.3 billion spent because of a failure to support troubled individuals struggling with homelessness, addiction and mental health problems including through social investment”.
The same research found a minimum of 58,000 people across England who are facing a combination of homelessness, substance misuse, and offending issues at once – and an average local authority can expect 1,470 cases of people facing this ’severe and multiple disadvantage’ each year.
People in this situation often fall into a negative cycle of crisis and crime. They place significant demand on local agencies, but fail to get the help they need as mainstream services, focusing on one issue at a time, struggle to respond to the complexity of their need. However, as our recent evidence review shows, coordinating the right kind of support can reduce demand, improve outcomes, and generate savings.
This may sound like a familiar story – a similar case was made for the ‘Troubled Families’ approach. Indeed, this commitment builds on a pledge in the Autumn Statement (and recommendations elsewhere) to look at extending the principles of the ‘Troubled Families’ approach to other people with multiple needs.
This is a real opportunity for local leaders, who will play a leading role in shaping this new approach in their area. Other positives buried away in the big red book include pledges on:
- Co-locating Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) in over 350 Jobcentres, to provide integrated employment and mental health support
- designing a more integrated, multi-agency approach to divert female offenders from custody where appropriate
- continuing to join-up services for people with health and social care needs
Of course, this is not to gloss over the significant challenges that lie ahead. The further £12 billion in welfare cuts proposed for the next parliament is particularly concerning, with the burden likely to fall heavily on vulnerable groups who have already been hit hard by welfare reform.
However, the focus on better coordinated support still holds significant potential to drive better outcomes for some of the most excluded people, while generating savings in the long-run. With a case like that, we can hope that the budget’s pledge on multiple needs will be taken forward whoever makes up the next government.
This article was originally published in Local Government Chroncile, and is available online here: http://www.lgcplus.com/opinion/health/a-breakthrough-budget-for-people-facing-multiple-needs/5083505.article
