Homecare Association

If you are interested in #homecare now and in the future, you will want to come to our Annual Conference on May 14th. Tickets are available now at: https://lnkd.in/eFskrMEs With many more to come, some of our conference speakers so far are ... Nuno Almeida Carol Atkinson David Chalk Daisy Cooney Anna Dabek Muhammad Damji Amrit Dhaliwal Anna Dixon Trudie Fell Karolina Gerlich FRSA Martin Jones MBE Laura Jordan Camille Leavold Todd Hannah Morgan Andrew Needham John Rennison Emma Scholes Stella Shaw Caroline Southgate 💚 Jon Stone Tom Symondson Stephen Trowbridge MBE Florin Vadean Melanie Weatherley MBE Nourish Care

We're here to talk about all things homecare. Our Members' Helpline can help with questions about homecare practice as well as providing advice to overcome any problems, obstacles and concerns. So, whatever your question is, just get in touch and our dedicated team will provide the answers you need quickly. Find out more: https://lnkd.in/euuGmUaF #homecare #socialcare

We express profound disappointment as MPs vote to reject amendments that would have exempted social care providers from the upcoming increase to Employers' National Insurance Contributions. From April 2025, social care providers face a staggering 10% cost increase while receiving fee increases of just 0-5% from local authorities. This decision worsens the existing £8.4 billion funding gap and threatens the sustainability of essential care services across the nation. Our Chief Executive Dr Jane Townson OBE states: "Today we bear witness to a devastating blow that seals the fate of thousands of care providers across our nation. In a callous act of indifference, the government has dismantled the core principles and ethos of the Care Act, abandoning millions who depend on vital support. This is indeed a dark day for community based care, not only a ruthless assault on those we protect and employ, but on the very fabric of our democracy. “The government's refusal to exempt care providers from the ENICs increases, while simultaneously failing to provide adequate funding to local authorities, threatens the existence of regulated homecare services across Britain. The government is forcing homecare providers to choose between breaching regulations or insolvency." We urge the government to make an immediate increase to funding for local authorities so they can increase fees to cover costs. Without this, it will be hard to improve employment conditions as the government intends. Read our full media release here: https://lnkd.in/essedt_F

Day 2 at #UKCareWeek and great conversations are flowing! If you're a #homecare provider or a supplier to the #caresector, find us at stand F40 to discover how we can support your work.

Great to catch up with our member, Tajinder from Kare Plus Romford, at #UKCareWeek. 😁

Full house at the #UKCareWeek Keynote Stage! Daisy Cooney, our Head of Policy, Practice & Innovation, joins care's biggest names to talk sector challenges and solutions. 💡

We’re all set for #UKCareWeek! Find us at stand F40 - come and say hello. 👋 We’re excited to be part of an inspiring agenda and looking forward to connecting with fellow professionals from the health and social care community. Come and chat with us about all things #homecare! 🗣️

Have you got your ticket to our annual. conference on 14th May? Join us to hear expert speakers from Australia, Nordic countries and Spain, and a panel of MPs, to discuss approaches to homecare and its reform. We’ll hear from homecare commissioners who are working hard to improve the way they do things, and from providers involved about how this is going. Expert panels will offer information and practical advice based on experience in a range of areas including: financial sustainability; building a private-pay business; and supporting your workforce. Book now at: https://lnkd.in/eFskrMEs

Secretary of State for Health and Social Care announces abolition of NHS England and 50% cuts to Integrated Care Board running costs In a landmark statement to Parliament today, Health and Social Care Secretary The Rt. Hon. Wes Streeting MP announced plans to abolish NHS England and integrate its functions into the Department of Health and Social Care over the next two years. "Today we are abolishing the biggest quango in the world," Streeting declared, describing it as "putting the final nail in the coffin of the conservatives' disastrous top-down reorganisation of the NHS." Streeting painted a stark picture of bureaucratic bloat: "There are more than twice as many staff working in NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care today than there were in 2010" - a time when "the NHS delivered the shortest waiting times and the highest patient satisfaction in history." "Today the NHS delivers worse care for patients but is more expensive than ever before," Streeting continued. "The budget for NHS England staff and admin alone has soared to £2 billion. Taxpayers are paying more but getting less." Concerning impact on social care What's deeply concerning to social care providers is the parallel directive for Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) to slash their running costs by 50% by December - cuts that risk exacerbating what the Homecare Association sees as state-sponsored labour exploitation in the homecare sector. https://lnkd.in/g_rjT985 (paywall). ICBs are already struggling. Many NHS commissioners currently purchase homecare at rates that don't even cover minimum wage plus statutory costs for care workers, let alone travel time, mileage, or training. Over 80% of homecare providers report late payment of invoices by the NHS. The reform plan Streeting insists these reforms "will deliver a much leaner top of the NHS, making significant savings of hundreds of millions of pounds a year that will flow down to the front line to cut waiting times faster." Sir James Mackey will lead the transformation, with Streeting praising his "outstanding track record of turning around organisations, balancing the books, driving up productivity and driving down waiting times." Time for ethical commissioning As the NHS navigates this radical restructuring, we must ensure ethical commissioning of homecare is safeguarded. Homecare providers cannot offer fair pay to care workers if they do not receive a fair price for homecare. While Streeting concluded that "The NHS is broken but it is not beaten. Together we will turn it around," the question remains: at what cost to older and disabled people and those who care for them? #SocialCare #homecare #carehomes #NHS #ICBs

While we understand the rationale for consolidating NHS England with the Department of Health and Social Care, we're deeply concerned about the directive for Integrated Care Boards to cut costs by 50% by December. Our Chief Executive, Dr Jane Townson OBE, said: "ICBs are already struggling with significant challenges, with over 1,250 staff having resigned since last July. Many in the sector already feel ICBs are too large and remote, making meaningful engagement with local authorities and care providers difficult. It's hard to see how these substantial cuts will do anything but exacerbate these issues. "Our members already face what can only be described as state-sponsored labour exploitation through unethical NHS commissioning practices. Many commissioners currently purchase homecare at rates that do not even cover the minimum wage plus statutory employment costs for care workers, let alone allow for travel time, mileage, training, or sustainable service operation. Over 89% of homecare providers report late payment of invoices by the NHS. We worry this situation will worsen." The Homecare Association calls on the Secretary of State for Health and Social care, The Rt. Hon. Wes Streeting MP, to clarify urgently how ethical commissioning of social care will be safeguarded during this period of radical restructuring. Homecare providers cannot pay fair wages if they do not receive a fair price for care. https://lnkd.in/gPtJByVQ