Independent Care Group
MEDIA RELEASE
30th March 2022
Group strikes deal to aid care providers
Success for North Yorkshire partnership
Care providers have successfully agreed a positive fee increase to support those looking after older and vulnerable people in North Yorkshire.
A deal between the Independent Care Group (ICG) and North Yorkshire County Council will help hard-pressed care providers across the county.
It will see an increase in what the local authority pays to care and nursing homes and to homecare agencies to provide care in people’s own homes.
ICG Chair Mike Padgham said: “After months of negotiation we are pleased to have agreed an increase in fees which will provide some help to care providers across North Yorkshire.
“These are extremely challenging times and providers are facing real difficulties with occupancy levels struggling to return to pre-Covid-19 levels, inflation rising rapidly and fuel and utility costs going up steeply.
“Against that background, we felt it vital that we get the best possible outcome that we could for our members, and we believe that we have achieved that.
“We are also aware that the local authority is itself facing tight budgetary constraints and so we are grateful to them for approaching the negotiations in a spirit of co-operation and for hearing the plight of care providers.
“Of course, we always wish it could be more and will continue to campaign for the root and branch overhaul of social care, on a national level, that we passionately believe is long overdue for the sector.
“As a country we need to fund social care properly so that we can invest in the sector and pay our staff what they deserve.”
Media Contact: Mike Padgham, 01723 502414 or 07971 111062.
- Social care currently looks after 400,000 people in care and nursing homes – that is three times the number in NHS hospital beds. Social care looks after a further 640,000 people in their own homes.
Note to editors: The Independent Care Group is a recognised representative body for independent care providers (private and voluntary). It works on behalf of care providers for all client groups including care homes, domiciliary care agencies, supported living and extra care housing providers, and day care centres in the private and voluntary parts of the independent sector.
