9th April 2020

Provider fees

Provider fees: Summary of the approach proposed by local government

Introduction:

This statement has been produced to give a framework for the consideration of the locally determined temporary funding of social care providers in the light of the current national emergency.

Its focus is on stabilising the adult social care market during the crisis. It is not intended to impede local successful relationships with providers, but to recognise that nationally there are critical concerns about sustainability and price.

Providers have several concerns which reflect their anxieties about being able to survive in the short term. Some of those concerns are operational such as the need to ensure that care workers have the right personal protective equipment and appropriate testing. However, there are also immediate and very pressing concerns about the increased costs they are facing and the impact this will have on their cash flow.

Councils also have concerns about the range of calls on the Covid-19 funding which has been made available to them by Government and need to carefully monitor the additional costs being incurred to support adult social care providers.

Many authorities have already taken action to support providers in meeting the additional costs that they face locally and in managing cash flow challenges. We hope that the information about the scale and nature of pressures set out in this statement will help councils who have not yet been able to agree what level of temporary additional support providers in their local area will need. We would welcome a local open book dialogue to build trust between commissioners and providers.

READ THE FULL DOCUMENT HERE:

Provider Fees Summary Of The Approach Proposed By Local Government Asc Final