A Nottingham authority says it now invests more money into homecare after a new report claims it paid the lowest in the East Midlands.
A new report published by the UK Homecare Association (UKHCA) claims Nottingham City Council pays £13.57 per hour towards independent and voluntary homecare services.
The data is based on a sample week in April 2016 but the council says they have increased the amount paid towards homecare since then.
Director of adult social services at the City Council Helen Jones said: “To respond to the increase in National Living Wage and improve recruitment and retention, we have increased our homecare provider fees since April when these figures applied.
“This means that no home care provider in Nottingham now gets less than £15.20 an hour, which is higher than the regional and national average.”
- The amount East Midlands councils pay towards homecare (Infographic by UK Homecare Association based on data collated from a sample week in April 2016)
UKCHA claim that homecare costs ‘will continue to rise’ for people who need the services because they are ‘short-changed by councils’ who do not meet their calculated minimum of £16.70 per hour based on meeting National Living Wage targets.
According to the report, East Midlands as a region pay £14.78 per hour on average, which is just under £2 per hour less.
However East Midlands ranks as the fifth highest payer out of the 12 UK regions with only one region, the South West, paying above the minimum.
UK Homecare Association’s Policy Director Colin Angel is worried for people who need homecare services across all of the UK.
He said: “Councils which decide to pay inadequate rates for homecare are taking major risks with people’s wellbeing and the jobs of local people who provide care.
“We have already seen evidence of homecare providers leaving the state-funded care market, or closing their doors for good because they cannot afford to remain in business.
“People who use homecare services are already experiencing the consequences of unstable care markets; underfunded homecare is an urgent situation, which must not be allowed to continue.”
