Funds 'boost' for social care in Wiltshire

Wiltshire Council is one of several local authorities in the South West to have a share of a total £12.1million government money to boost staffing levels in the social care sector.

CRITICAL STAFF SHORTAGES

Staff absence rates in care homes and the home care sector have increased significantly across the country in the wake of the new Covid-19 variant, due to workers testing positive or having to self-isolate.

The new funding - announced on Friday last week (22 Jan) - will be used to increase workforce capacity and provide better protection and support for staff and residents in care homes and those receiving help in their own homes.

FUNDING FOR SOCIAL CARE IN SOUTH WEST

The South West Local Authorities that are getting the money:

£1.3million in Swindon and Wiltshire

£1.7million in Dorset

£2.1million in Somerset

£1million in Bristol

£1.7million in Gloucestershire and South Gloucestershire

£2.8million in Devon

£1.4million in Cornwall

Wiltshire and Swindon's funding is divided into two parts, with Wiltshire getting £911,532 and Swindon the remaining £384,628.

HOW THE MONEY IS TO BE USED

* Provide additional care staff where shortages arise

* Support administrative tasks so experienced and skilled staff can focus on providing care

* Help existing staff to take on additional hours if they wish with overtime payments or by covering childcare costs

Separately, a £149million grant scheme has been announced to support rapid testing of care home staff and facilitate visits from family and friends where possible.

Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock said:

"This funding will bolster staffing numbers in a controlled and safe way, while ensuring people continue to receive the highest quality of care.

"Since the start of the pandemic, we have taken steps to protect care homes, including increasing the testing available for staff and residents, providing free PPE and investing billions of pounds of additional funding for infection control.

"Help is on the way with the offer of a vaccine, with over 40% of elderly care home residents having already received their first dose."

Many local authorities across the country already have staffing initiatives in place to increase capacity and address staffing issues.

These include care worker staff banks where new recruits are paid during training, redeployment models where DBS-checked staff are trained and moved into operational roles and end-to-end training and recruitment services.

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• social care
• staff shortages
• wiltshire council
• funding
• covid-19 pandemic