Carers Need Help as Covid-19 Restrictions Ease
CAMPAIGNERS are calling on the Government to help social care as it faces a fight to survive as Covid-19 restrictions ease.
The Independent Care Group (ICG) is worried that financial support for care providers during Covid-19 is ending even though they are still facing hardship.
ICG Chair Mike Padgham said: “The Covid-19 pandemic, sluggish occupancy and the growing cost of living crisis have left the sector on its knees.
“Now the fund set up to help us to staff the Covid-19 pandemic is ending and nothing is being put in its place.
“Homecare providers are struggling as they experience their worst staffing crisis in years.
“It is good that restrictions are being relaxed and care and nursing homes can open up again – it has been very hard on residents and their relatives to be separated these past two years.
“But Covid-19 hasn’t gone away and if a home has two or more cases it cannot accept new admissions for 10 days, which is bound to compound current financial difficulties. It also means backlog issues for the NHS because hospitals cannot discharge patients into care settings.
“If we are to reopen and relax restrictions, with all the risks that that will bring, we must have some support, or more and more providers are going to go to the wall.”
The ICG has warned that the increase in National Insurance contributions will hit those working in social care.
Mr Padgham added: “The National Insurance levy will ultimately help social care but initially it is all being funnelled to the NHS with very little coming our way.
“And to add insult to injury, the National Insurance increase to pay for it will take money away from those working in the sector during a cost-of-living crisis.”
The ICG argues that more funding is urgently needed for social care to pay its staff properly, to reward them for the work they do and to address the staffing crisis hurting the sector.
Mr Padgham added: “We need that extra funding straight away and cannot wait for the NHS to absorb all available money first. And we should be funding it through income tax, so that those who can afford most pay most and it doesn’t fall disproportionately on the lower paid.”
