Community services, as with the NHS at large, are suffering the consequences of years of capital underinvestment. In order to increase capacity, achieve greater productivity and improve experience for staff and patients alike, community providers need access to adequate capital funding.
The community sector’s buildings and systems alike are becoming increasingly inadequate for the task being asked of them. Without the right investment, neither keeping up with current demand nor expanding their role will be possible. Underinvestment in digital systems is holding back productivity gains in community services. This relates both to clinical tasks and to back-office functions, both of which could be made more efficient with better digital infrastructure.
As a result of historic underinvestment in both the community sector's facilities and its digital systems, a simple injection of revenue funding would not yield the required results. To respond and grow in line with the government’s aim of bringing care closer to home, capital funding is essential for community services.
Investing today will bring better value tomorrow, with renewed estates enabling more integrated care across system partners. Likewise, improved digital systems can enhance the productivity of both clinical and managerial staff, making the most of scarce resources.
Meanwhile, investing in community services will also aid the government's ambitions by providing a springboard for economic growth. The health of the nation and its future economic prospects are tightly connected, with a healthier population both more able to work and earn while also reducing demand on the NHS as a whole.
