Solihull Care Boss Halts Job Opportunity Amid NI Hike Fears

Hilda Johani, founder of HBBA Care, has said ‘enough is enough’ as a final decision is due on whether price hikes will be enforced.

Hilda says her sector has been ‘suffering in silence’ for too long – and her own company now faces paying £17,000 more a year in rising business costs.

Hilda is backing a nationwide Providers Unite campaign which warns the care sector is on the brink of collapse amid government plans to bring an extra financial burden to companies.

HBBA Care employs 57 staff, with 52 colleagues considered ‘frontline’ as they care for people in home visits across Birmingham and the West Midlands.

Now, Hilda says she has cancelled plans to recruit a new vital admin support role.

It comes after a HBBA team joined a mass rally of care providers who marched at Westminster on February 25, to urge government U-turn on the planned increases unveiled in last year’s Budget.

Hilda has also lobbied Saqib Bhatti, Conservative MP for Solihull East and Meriden, at the House of Commons, who has pledged his support in bringing greater understanding and in-depth discussion for carers.

“I am grateful to our MP, who is a former shadow minister for health and social care for listening and suggesting fuller round-table talks are needed, as well as acknowledging, in his expert view,  some critical care issues are at the heart of our concerns.”

The House of Lords has since voted to exempt social care providers from the increase due from next month.

This would mean employers in health and social care continue to pay the current level of contributions.

The National Insurance Contributions (Secondary Class 1 Contributions) Bill had its third reading on Tuesday, March 4.

Hilda said House of Lords support was hugely welcome – but that as a company, HBBA Care, based at Birmingham Business Centre, Solihull Parkway, is already feeling hard-hitting effects of anticipated changes.

She said: “We are bracing ourselves for an unsustainable increase in employer costs. For those of us committed to paying the Real Living Wage and widening opportunities to a future workforce under 21, this impact is predicted to rocket  above 12%.”

“This leaves us no wiggle room. We cannot recoup or pass on these rises in staff costs in our own fees for the local authority or privately funded individuals as our rates are limited by regulations.”

“The increased burden is also at a time when other running costs have become more expensive and energy prices have soared.”

“Already in care, we are doing a lot of work that is for no pay, there is no admin rate we can apply for some elements of training, assessing, on-boarding and meetings. If a local authority social worker attends a meeting they can be paid for their time, yet as a business we have no choice but to write off this time”

“While hope has been ignited that the government may scrap their national insurance rise for hospices, care homes and other community health and social care settings, thanks to the vote by the Lords, we are still hugely worried by what the future will bring.”

Hilda, who has been running HBBA Care for ten years, said the monetary pressure on the care industry had been steadily growing.

“I joined the London protest along with some of our team members because our industry has been raising issues about the everyday pressures we face, and more is needed to be done for companies like ours, financially squeezed when providing the best care we can. Mostly we have been suffering in silence, focusing on care we provide.

“We have arrived at a point where experts say the whole market is on the verge of collapse. Speaking up about the devastating changes proposed to our running costs and making our voices heard is urgent. We are undeniably already taking a major hit in anticipation of what’s to come.”