Empowering Care Homes In Uncertain Times

Care England has written to all its members encouraging them to engage with their Local Authorities regarding increased financial pressures as a result of COVID-19.

Professor Martin Green OBE, Chief Executive of Care England, says:

“We have developed a template letter informed by engagement with Care England members over many weeks cataloguing the sorts of financial issues that they are facing. We hope that it will empower members in their engagements with local commissioners and also help to inform CCGs and Local Authorities of the kinds of challenges that care providers are facing currently”.

It is vitally important for care providers to be supported in their response to COVID-19. The health and social care systems are fundamentally intertwined and any response to COVID-19 on a national basis is reliant upon the support of a strong care system which is in turn dependent upon a well informed discussion at local level.

Providers may be facing increased costs from issues such as the National Living Wage, agency fees and a range of operational pressures. Members can download the template letter from www.careengland.org.uk and we encourage members to include their own examples and figures to elucidate their own local realities.

Martin Green continues:

“If care homes are forced to close as a result of financial pressures in the coming weeks and months this will inevitably have an adverse effect upon local health systems, local economies, communities and finally, but most importantly, the people who reside within these care services”.