The NHS needs more flexibility in how it pays for caring for people with disabilities.
This can mean that more staff may need to work in homes, or that the cost of care will increase.
The National Audit Office (NAO) has now published its findings into the cost-effectiveness of different types of care.
Here are some key points: Inpatient care and rehabilitation services cost the NHS £1.1bn a year on average, with some £1bn going towards rehabilitation and care homes.
The National Audit office said the total cost of the NHS’s care was £6.3bn in 2020-21.
Some £1 billion went to the provision of inpatient care in 2020, but the NAO says that’s only partly because the number of beds available in the hospitals was not high enough to meet demand.
In terms of the cost to the NHS of home care, it was the biggest outlay, costing £1,873 per person.
But the NAOM found that some services such as respite and social care, which are paid for by the NHS, were not always cost-effective, and this is a result of the way care is delivered.
The NAO said that, for example, inpatient services in London were not usually paid for out of pocket.
The report found that a home care service called A&E for adults could cost £2,000 per person per month, while the costs for a respite service in Scotland were around £1 per person a month.
It is estimated that the NHS spends about £400 million a year caring for the disabled, with around £400m of that on inpatient and outpatient care.
Many services, including mental health, carers and social services, were also not cost-efficient, but this was partly because of the type of care they provided.
The cost of social care was estimated at £1 million per person, while mental health care was at £2 million per year.
One of the key findings of the NAOs report was that the average cost per person of all services across the country was lower than what is claimed.
The average cost of providing all services was just £1 a week, the NAOC said.
A cost-benefit analysis was also commissioned into how the care provided by the different services was funded.
The analysis found that it was not a good idea to rely on an average figure of £1 every week, because the health service is not always funded from government funding.
“It would not be a good deal to spend £1 on a single individual, for instance, if they are not likely to have health issues, or to take care of themselves in an emergency situation,” it said.
“A single person who is in a high-risk group or with mental health issues is unlikely to need a carer.”
The NAOM said there was a lack of clarity around how many beds should be available in hospitals and how to make this work.
This could mean that care for the mentally ill or the disabled would need to be provided at home, or at a home or residential care facility.
Its also recommended that more funding should be given to hospitals to ensure they can continue to make money from inpatient beds.
The NHS has also faced criticism in recent years for the way it pays carers.
A number of organisations, including Care UK, the Care Quality Commission and the Royal College of Nursing have accused the NHS in particular of paying carers less than the rest of the UK.
Care UK said it paid an average of £14,000 to carers in England, while Care Quality Britain said it made £18,000.