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In his Autumn Statement the chancellor confirmed reports that social care reforms, including a £86,000 cap on care costs from October 2023, will be delayed by two years. The chancellor also announced that social care funding will increase by £1 billion in 2023 and by a further £1.7 billion in 2024 to help ease hospital bed blocking. Nurses across the UK backed strike action as they seek a pay rise of 5% above the rate of inflation. The Royal College of Nursing said the majority of NHS employers had supported its first nationwide strike in its 106-year history, which is scheduled to begin towards the end of the year and potentially run until May next year.
Scottish social care minister Kevin Stewart rejected calls to pause plans for a National Care Service over concerns about how it will be financed. The plans for a free at the point of use service similar to the NHS have been estimated by Scottish Parliament researchers to cost up to £1.2 billion but Audit Scotland has said delivery of the service could be well above that. Care England also called for a ‘1948 moment’ for social care to deliver a longterm and sustainable future for the sector. The call came with the publication of a Care Provider Alliance briefing, ‘The state of the social care and support provision in England’. Secretary of state for health and social care Steve Barclay announced details of how the £500 million Adult Social Care Discharge Fund will be spent to help easing bed blocking in the NHS
CARING-TIMES.CO.UK
Martin Green
this winter. During a speech at the NHS Providers Conference, Barclay revealed that the first tranche of the funds will be provided to integrated care boards in early December with the second tranche being rolled out at the end of January. Fears rose of a new wave of Covid-19 in care homes with as of November only 8% of care home staff having received their autumn jabs. The latest government figures showed the number of vaccinated care home workers has dropped alarmingly with more than 84% of care home workers previously having at least two jabs. National Care Forum member, Community Integrated Care, launched an innovative programme to help people who work in social care and the people they support with rising energy costs. ‘Taking charge’ offers vital support and guidance to help significantly cut energy bills and save people hundreds of pounds. Care home residents are to have
the legal right to have visitors under legislation planned by the government it was reported. The Times said the legislation was being planned for care home residents and hospital patients. Care England called for an investigation into “horrendous and financially crippling” energy bills facing care homes this winter. In a letter to Ofgem, and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, seen by Caring Times, chief executive Professor Martin Green accused energy suppliers of being “unduly onerous” in their practices.
FINANCE
Two directors were banned for 25 years after abusing millions of pounds of investors’ funds in a care home investment scheme. Christopher Bateman and his business partner, Nicola Fairweather were investigated by the Insolvency Service after their Cheshire businesses GCC Management and Amek Solutions went into insolvency. >
DECEMBER 2022/JANUARY 2023 | 5
