Provider Calls for U-Turn on Care Group Funding
A body that works with City of York Council to ensure that the care needs of its oldest and most vulnerable residents are being met is to have its funding cut by the authority.
After weeks of uncertainty, the council has confirmed that it plans to cut all the funding it provides to the care provider organisation, the Independent Care Group (ICG).
The ICG is angry that more than 20 years of funding could end without any consultation and it has warned that the care of York residents could suffer.
It is to hold talks with Councillor Jo Coles, Executive Member for Health, Wellbeing and Adult Social Care, and is seeking a meeting with York MP Rachael Maskell on the issue.
ICG Chief Executive John Pattinson said: “We are very disappointed that the Council has decided to cut the funding it gives to the ICG without any warning or consultation, instantly altering the relationship we and the council have built up over more than 20 years.
“We would urge councillors to rethink as we are certain this will have a direct impact on the care provided to some of the city’s oldest and most vulnerable.”
The ICG has an agreement with City of York Council setting out how the two would work in partnership over care provision for older and vulnerable adults in the area and on issues like improving care, training and tackling any problems.
ICG Chair Mike Padgham said: “It seems that, at a stroke, the council is willing to rip up this agreement, without any form of consultation.
“It is bound to damage the relationship we have with the council and set back the many years of progress we have made in improving the delivery of care in the York area.
“It is not too late however, and though at the moment it seems to be a fait accompli, we would urge councillors to think again and reinstate this vital support and restore the vital link between care providers, the authority and the people who benefit most from this, the residents who need care.
“Instead of taking such a backward step, at this time of crisis in the care of vulnerable people, we should be working more closely together rather than less.”
Amongst other things, the ICG represents providers in negotiations and discussions with the authority, over care fees, for example, and speaking for providers on various boards and organisations, alongside the council.
The ICG’s agreement with the council says the ICG will be a liaison point between the council and other organisations to “discuss and disseminate matters of mutual interest such as ongoing training, service development and innovation.”
It also sets out that the ICG will “work with the City of York and the independent care sector to promote consistency of approach, best practice and ongoing workforce and professional development across the sector.”
