Teams of healthcare professionals, including pharmacists and GPs, will be assigned to care homes, "where they will get to know individual residents' needs and provide tailored treatment and support", as well as offer emergency care out of hours, Ms May revealed in an announcement yesterday (November 21).

The national rollout follows a “successful pilot”, the Department of Health and Social Care (DH) said.

The scheme will funded with part of a "major new investment" in primary and community healthcare, which the DH claimed will be "worth £3.5 billion a year in real terms by 2023-4".

Commenting on this investment yesterday, Ms May said the “major boost in funding…will give more patients a genuine and high-quality alternative to hospital”.

"Many of us might assume that hospital is the safest place to be – but in reality many patients would be much better off being cared for in the community," she added.

C+D has asked the DH for more details of the care home scheme.