POSTED BY SCC ⋅ MAY 20, 2020
Adult social care providers in Surrey are receiving £10 million in grants from the county council to help them deal with the impact of coronavirus.
They are being given a 10 per cent funding boost to help them continue to support some of Surrey’s most vulnerable residents.
Sinead Mooney, Surrey County Council’s Cabinet Member for Adults and Public Health, said: “We know the pressures that care providers are under and the incredible efforts they’re making to support vulnerable people in these most challenging of times. The payments are intended to recognise the difficulties providers face and also to reassure those who rely on adult social care and their loved ones that we’re supporting the services they value.
“I’d like to thank each and every care provider in Surrey and all of their staff for the dedication and commitment they’re continuing to show at the frontline of dealing with this pandemic – they really are heroes.”
The extra funding in the form of goodwill grants is intended to help bring stability to the crucial care sector at a time when many providers are faced with rising costs linked to the pandemic such as staff illness.
The payments are one of the ways the council is using additional funding it has received from the Government to deal with the consequences of the coronavirus outbreak.
The grants will be paid to adult social care organisations the county council has contracts with – including many residential, nursing and home-based care providers as well as extra care, supported living and day care. They’ll receive an additional grant payment of 10 per cent on top of the normal payments they receive from the council.
The support provided through grants is expected to cost up to £10 million and cover the three-month period April to June. Support will then be reviewed for July.
David Holmes, Chair of the Surrey Care Association, which works to support social care providers, said: “Surrey care providers have suffered a huge extra financial burden as a result of the Covid-19 outbreak. Costs of PPE and staffing have rocketed, and finances are now being stretched further as occupancy levels fall. We are grateful to Surrey County Council for recognising these pressures and providing ongoing financial support. This has helped our sector to continue delivering care and support of the highest quality through these difficult and demanding times.”
Other financial support available to care providers includes advance payments in some situations and an increase in the payments they receive to support people who are discharged from hospital, whether into residential, nursing care or home-based care. The NHS will be meeting the costs of new care packages following hospital discharge in this period as per the national Covid-19 “discharge to assess” guidance.