Issue - meetings

Report of the Strategic Director of Adult Care, Housing and Public Health

Recommendations:-

1.    It is recommended that Cabinet support Option 1 Cash Grants and approve:

                      i.        Advance additional payments of £15k to each Older Peoples’ Care Home in Rotherham (a total cost of £495k)

                    ii.        The provision of a  ...  view the full agenda text for item 5

Consideration was given to a report which detailed the duties outlined in the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care’s letter with a specific focus on care Homes for Older People covering both residential and nursing provision.

It was reported that there are 34 Care Homes for Older People  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5

Cabinet Portfolio                  Adult Social Care and Health

Strategic Directorate            Adult Care, Housing and Public Health

Consideration was given to a report that was submitted for pre-decision scrutiny ahead of the Cabinet meeting scheduled for 11 May 2020 in respect of Financial Support for Older People's Residential Care Homes during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Health, the Strategic Director of Adult Care, Housing and Public Health and the Assistant Director - Strategic Commissioning attended the meeting to present the report and to answer members’ questions.

The report stated that the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care had written to all local authorities on 19 March 2020 outlining the financial support that would be made available to support the response to Covid-19 with regards to the provision of adult care services. In the time since the letter had been received the Council had been allocated two un-ringfenced grants totalling £16.2million that were to be used to support Adult Social Care and other Council services impacted by Covid-19. The report stated that the Secretary of State had specifically reminded local authorities for the need, and of their obligation to support the Adult care provider market in their local area. 

The Secretary of State’s letter highlighted that the funding should be utilised to support specific activities surrounding supporting home care providers and the care home sector. It was noted that the requirement to protect the cash flow of home care providers had been addressed by a delegated officer decision taken in April 2020.

The report detailed the specific areas that then Secretary of State had highlighted as key areas that should be targeted for support. These included:

·       Helping providers deal with the costs of increased workforce pressures due to higher sickness absence caused by the outbreak

·       Facilitating arrangements for adjusting packages as required in a timely and non-bureaucratic way, especially where providers are having to operate beyond normal services in order to respond to need.

·       Helping providers to meet costs associated with enhanced infection control and the protection of staff.

·       Finding supportive and creative ways to support providers in handling wider pressures caused by Covid-19.

The report stated that care homes were, like all other areas of Adult Care, feeling the impact of Covid-19, in that they were incurring additional costs within a low profit margin business model. It was noted that particular pressures included:

·       Increased PPE costs, hand gels and increased costs for routine supplies.

·       Accepting admissions at short notice to people discharged from hospital, or where regular informal support ceases to be available for example due to carer illness.

·       Higher sickness absence rates among their workforce, especially with staff self-isolating.

·       Statutory Sick Pay being paid from the first day of illness, rather than from the fourth day, and the requirements for workers to self-isolate.

·       Increased cost pressures from higher use of agency staff.

It was noted that the impact of any one of these pressures could threaten the stability of the Council’s supply of care home beds and consequently have a negative impact on the wider health and social  ...  view the full minutes text for item 173