Better Care Fund (BCF)

The Better Care Fund (BCF) is money that is shared between health, social care, public health, and housing services. The BCF has two main goals: To help people live at home independently in their community for as long as possible. To make sure people get the right care, in the right place, at the right time. Simply put, the main aim of the BCF is to help people live healthier, more independent lives and to stop them from having to go into hospital when it can be avoided.

BCF annual plans and reports are signed off by Doncaster Health and Wellbeing Board.

Plans receive assurance from NHS England, Department of Health and Social Care, Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and Local Government Association. For further information visit the NHS - Better Care Fund website.

Help shape our health and care services

We welcome the opportunity to work together, to overcome barriers to shape a better future for health and care services.

To play a role in shaping how care is delivered in your borough, please make contact with michael.mcburney@doncaster.gov.uk

Better Care Fund Plan 2025-26

Our Main Goal

Our main goal is to help people live healthy, independent, and dignified lives. We will do this by making sure that health, public health, social care, and housing services all work together smoothly, with the person at the centre.

Key Things We Will Focus On

We will spend money on services that:

Help prevent falls.
Provide joined-up care in your community.
Offer better support for carers (people who look after a family member or friend).
Make moving between services smoother, such as leaving the hospital and going home.

How We Will Help People Stay at Home

We are working to keep people out of hospital by:

Having Community Well-being and Rapid Assessment Teams to give quick support at home.
Expanding the Virtual Ward to look after people with breathing problems (respiratory conditions) at home instead of in the hospital.

Reducing the Need for Care Homes

We want to help people live independently for longer, so we are also:

Giving proactive support to care homes to keep residents healthy.
Improving access to your local doctor (primary care).
This will reduce the number of people who need to move into a long-term care home.

View the Better Care Fund video

The Better Care Fund video provides further details of how the fund works.