Conservative conference: Hancock pledges extra cash for social care and expansion of genomic medicine

The health and social care secretary has pledged an extra £240m (€270m; $312m) for social care this year to help avoid a winter crisis in the NHS.

In a keynote speech to the Conservative Party’s annual conference in Birmingham on 2 October, Matt Hancock also vowed to expand genomic medicine and new technology as part of efforts to reform the health service and guarantee its long term future.

Announcing an extra £240m for local councils to fund social care this winter, he said, “We will use this money to get people who don’t need to be in hospital, but do need care, back home, back into their communities, so we can free up those …