Council to increase payment rate for providing care at home services
Council to increase payment rate for providing care at home services, in the hope that this will assist companies in recruiting and retaining staff and improve the provision to people needing care in their own homes. The press release from Cornwall Council is in full below:
Cornwall Council has decided to increase the hourly rate it pays private companies for providing traditional domiciliary care* for people living in their own homes.
The Council currently spends approximately £28m a year on commissioning packages of traditional domiciliary care for people living in their own homes. The rates that the Council pays are currently in the lowest quartile of rates paid across local authorities in the South West.
The Council has modelled the financial impact of the rates in light of information provided by the UK Home Care Association and providers. The authority has also taken into consideration the impact of local economic growth on the ability of providers to attract and retain staff to meet the Council’s care requirements. This has resulted in a decision to increase the rates paid to those providers who are providing traditional domiciliary care for individuals living in their own homes. The Council is putting an additional £4.5m into the Adult Care budget to meet the costs of this decision.
“Traditional domiciliary care plays a crucial role in supporting people to live in their own homes and it is vital that we ensure that we can provide support for people where and when they need it “ said Jim McKenna, the Council’s Cabinet Member for Adult Care and Support.
“Over the past few months we have been working with representatives of Healthwatch Cornwall, the Kernow Clinical Commissioning Group and providers to try and work though a number of issues, one of which relates to the payment rates currently paid by the Council for care at home to vulnerable clients.
“We have listened to the concerns of providers on this matter and I am pleased that we have been able to reach agreement in increasing the hourly rate to a level which is above the South West average.
Debbie Pritchard, Healthwatch Cornwall’s Chief Executive, said: “Healthwatch Cornwall has worked hard to represent the views of providers, paid-carers and the cared for in relation to the county’s care-at-home system to commissioners. Our report, published in May 2015, included a number of recommendations to the commissioners, with one being the need to review pay and conditions for carers.
“Therefore we welcome Cornwall Council’s decision to increase the hourly rate paid to providers for traditional care-at-home services. We hope this will increase recruitment and retention of staff, and, ultimately, ensure that a reliable and sustainable care-at-home service is delivered at all times to those who need it.”
This decision will come into effect from 4 September.