Decision details

Date of Decision:

19 February 2021.

Decision Maker:

(Including Job Title)

Suzanne Joyner

Strategic Director, Children and Young People Services.

Specific Delegation:

(If any)

Non-specific.

Brief Description of Decision:

To allocate the Workforce Capacity Fund (WCF) in line with the mandatory grant conditions across the following strands:

·       Core adult social care activity: Integrated Discharge Team (IDT) social care agency contracts, brokerage provision and the additional staffing requirements at in-house provision (£300,000).

·       Support the operation and development of the Skills Academy to attract and recruit a highly skilled care workforce for Rotherham (£30,000).

·       Invite expressions of interest (EoI) from independent sector CQC registered providers that are providing care to adults and have a registered location in Rotherham (£342,000).

Reasons for the Decision:

On 16 January 2021, the Government announced a further fund of £120m nationally to increase staffing capacity in adult social care. Rotherham’s allocation is £672,000.

The conditions of the funding are that the monies have to be spent by 31 March 2021 and covers expenditure between 16 January and 31 March 2021. Local authorities who have not fully spent their allocation at the end of the fund?will?be expected to repay any unspent monies?to Government.

The funding will be paid as a Section 31 grant ringfenced exclusively for actions which enable local authorities to deliver measures to supplement and strengthen adult social care staff capacity - to ensure that safe and continuous care is achieved to deliver the following outcomes:

·       Maintain care provision and continuity of care for recipients where pressing workforce shortages may put this at risk.

·       Support providers to restrict staff movement in all but exceptional circumstances, which is critical for managing the risk of outbreaks and infection in care homes.

·       Support safe and timely hospital discharges to a range of care environments, including domiciliary care, to prevent or address delays as a result of workforce shortages; and,

·       Enable care providers to care for new service users where the need arises.

The conditions of the fund are extremely time restrictive as the window for expenditure to be incurred opened on the 16 January and closes on the 31 March 2021. The grant will be allocated as set out and is recorded via the Record of Officer Executive Decision from the Strategic Director of Children and Young People Services.

Details of alternative options considered and rejected:

There were no alternative options for consideration as the grant funding available is time limited and needs to be spent before the end of the financial year with clear grant eligibility criteria in place.

Conflicts of interest declared by any Executive Member consulted by the decision maker which relates to the decision:

No conflicts of interest declared.

Dispensations Granted:

(If any)

N/A

Reports or parts of reports considered

The report of the Interim Assistant Director - Strategic Commissioning, Adult Care, Housing and Public Health - ASC Rapid Testing Fund and ASC Workforce Capacity Fund Briefing.