February 2017
no.243 • £4.75 incorporating
The Number One magazine for the care sector
Conference dates and speakers revealed
Extra £10m will not stop social care meltdown By Dominic Musgrave
A £10MILLION increase in funding for social care has been described as a “sticking plaster” that won’t cover a massive funding gap. The additional money for the sector was announced by Rebecca Evans, AM, the Welsh Government’s Minister for Social Services and Public Health. The announcement was welcomed by Care Forum Wales chairman Mario Kreft MBE, but he warned it was nowhere near enough. According to the Welsh Government, the new investment will form part of a three-way agreement to be established between the Welsh Government, local government and social care employers to work together to create a more stable social care workforce. They say the funding will help meet the extra costs associated with the introduction of the national living wage and that it is in addition to the extra £25million for social care, which was announced in the draft 2017-18 Budget in October. Mario said: “Any extra funding to a sector in meltdown is to be welcomed, but in reality it is a sticking plaster which will fail to plug the massive funding gap. “Care providers welcome Welsh Government’s recognition of the pressures the introduction of the national living wage has placed on
the sector. We all want to see care workers better rewarded for the vital service they provide and the increasing professionalisation of the workforce as we move towards registration. “But in two years since October 2015 we will have seen the minimum pay rates of our care workers increase by 12 per cent. We estimate the cost of this to be at least £80m. It will also have a knock on effect across the board because it will be impossible to maintain pay differentials as we would like. “We are pleased that Welsh Government see have prioritised social care as a sector of national strategic importance but there needs to be recognition the sector remains under pressure.” The Minister also announced that the maximum amount people can be charged for homecare and other non-residential care will increase from £60 a week to £70 from April. The uplift will complement the extra £10m-a-year investment, ensuring care across Wales continues to be of good quality. The rise reflects the need to invest in domiciliary care and takes account of inflation over the twoyear period that the current £60 maximum charge has been in place. It will raise more than £4m a year in additional income for local authorities to use to tackle pressures in the social care sector.
Angela Rippon has been awarded a CBE for services to dementia care in the New Year’s Honours list. The broadcaster, journalist and presenter is a dedicated supporter of Alzheimer’s Society and became an official ambassador of the charity in 2009. She co-chairs The Prime Minister’s Champion Group on Dementia Friendly Communities, alongside Alzheimer’s Society chief executive Jeremy Hughes, which focuses on improving inclusion and quality of life for people living with dementia. Angela has also backed Alzheimer’s Society’s flagship fundraising campaign, Memory Walk and supported the Counting the Cost campaign, which aimed to improve the quality of care for people with dementia on hospital wards.
THE line-up of speakers has been revealed for Caring UK’s first conferences of the year in Bournemouth, Newcastle and Blackpool in May. The Leaders in Care: Raising the Standards events take place at Marsham Court Hotel, Bournemouth on May 10 and Newcastle Racecourse and Herons Reach Hotel, Blackpool on May 17 and 18 respectively. Speakers already confirmed include Care England chief executive Martin Green OBE, National Care Association chairman Nadra Ahmed OBE and independent social care consultant John Kennedy. Delegates will also hear from representatives from the CQC, Skills for Care, Stirling University, Zenith Lawyers LLP, the Orders of St John Care Trust and Oxford University, apetito and OOMPH! An exhibition showcasing the latest products, advice and technology for a care home will run alongside all of the conferences. Further events are planned to take place on July 5 at York Racecourse, and on October 4 and 5 at the Riviera International Centre, Torquay and Bristol Zoo respectively. Details of the conferences can be found on pages 27 and 28, and of the first Caring UK awards on pages 10 and 11.