Commenting on the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, the National Care Forum’s [NCF] CEO, Professor Vic Rayner, questions why government support packages to help adjust to higher energy prices are not being extended to individuals living in social care settings.
The National Care Forum is the leading representative association for non-profit care and support organisations. Its membership base combined delivers social care support valued in excess of £2.3 billion to over 218,000 service users in 8,200 different settings. NCF members also provide jobs for 117,000 people and 14,000 volunteer posts between them.
It is a truth that the government’s financial measures that have already been announced apply to individuals who reside in their own households, but not those living in social care settings where energy costs are also excessive.
Furthermore, Ofgem’s energy price cap does not apply to social care settings, prompting Professor Rayner to question where protection from rising prices for the most vulnerable is going to come from.
He said: “The eye watering increases in energy cost is a very serious concern amongst our members. They are facing price rises of 400 per cent in gas and electricity prices which is totally unaffordable and way beyond anything budgeted or forecasted.
“This is causing immense pressure for social care providers. We need an urgent response from the government that will put a protection around people living in residential care settings – it is important to note that these people do not currently benefit from the government’s announced support for energy costs faced by households - all current and proposed schemes will not address the immediate crisis impacting on care homes right now.
“The sector cares for and supports some of the most vulnerable people in our society seven days a week, 365 days of the year and as we face the autumn and winter, it is clear that energy costs are rising exponentially. This is simply not sustainable.
“Action is needed now. We must see parity of support for vulnerable people living in care settings; we need care settings to be included in the domestic price cap, and we need an emergency ring-fenced energy fund which could flow from central government to local care providers. Social care providers need assurance now of the financial support that will be available in order to effectively plan for the sustainability of their service provision.”
To exacerbate matters, the current inflationary crisis is coinciding with record job vacancies in the UK and the most severe workforce pressures that the social care sector has encountered.
“Workforce remains a huge concern for everyone involved in care,” Rayner added.
“There has not been a strategic focus on this, despite cross party attempts to make this happen. The importance of a plan cannot be understated, and it is the lack of planning that has resulted in the care sector being in a position where vacancy levels continue to soar, whilst for the first time ever the overall number of people employed in the workforce shrinks.
“Urgent and proactive system-wide solutions are required. These will need to involve an urgent focus on pay, terms and conditions. We are going to have to work extremely hard to ensure that the workers already delivering care remain in post. In addition, whilst the focus on international workforce is welcome, the cost-of-living crisis facing everyone in the UK will mean that without attention, workers coming to work in the UK will find themselves subject to the kinds of financial pressure that will make working in this country untenable.”
Photo by MedicAlert UK on Unsplash
