The National Care Forum (NCF) – the leading association for not for profit care providers – responds to the last gasp government announcement on the extension for the Infection Control Fund (ICF), the extension of designated settings and the associated indemnity scheme and the launch of the determination service for those self-certifying in relation to vaccine exemption.

Vic Rayner OBE, CEO of the National Care Forum said:

“At the eleventh hour, the government has finally announced an extension to the funding for Adult Social Care to support the delivery of care services in a Covid-safe environment. The existing funding came to an end on 30^th September, the very same day that the government announced the extension. How it expects providers of care to plan and sustain services with the last minute nature of this extension is a mystery.

“Whilst the £388 million funding is welcome, it should be noted that this represents a 23% reduction of equivalent* funding provided by the government in only July of this year, and a 44% reduction of that provided in April of this year. Yet for care services, nothing has changed in terms of the areas that the fund is intended to support. The testing regime remains, the strictures around visiting are still in place, there are extra conditions around vaccination ongoing with more on the horizon, isolation for staff working with clinically vulnerable people is still required and infection control measures including the restriction of staff movement remain a firm requirement. This is before taking into consideration the £100 million of additional costs directly to care homes for implementing mandatory vaccinations that the governments’ own impact assessments determined.”  

In addition, the government has announced the extension of funding for the Designated Settings, and the associated Indemnity Schemes. Rayner continues:

“Designated Schemes were a central plank of the government’s plans to ensure Covid positive patients from hospital were not discharged to care homes. This scheme has been very challenging for care providers to deliver, and made more so by the short-term approach to funding and insuring the services. Leaving the announcement to confirm the extension of these schemes until the night before both the funding and insurance runs out makes a mockery of the notion of a strategic, thought-through approach to ensuring that people receive the services they need in localities across the country.”

Finally, the government has finalised a scheme to determine exemptions for those who need to determine whether they are medically exempt from vaccination. Rayner concludes:

“Following the last minute introduction of the temporary self certification scheme for exemption introduced on the 15^th September, the government has now finalised the permanent exemption service. This will mean that going forward, no one will be able to self-certify, and anyone who has done so to date will only have a 12 week period to either have their exemption confirmed, or to receive both doses of the vaccine in order to be able to be deployed within a care home. 12 weeks takes us to 23 December, right in the middle of winter pressures which will be even greater this year because of the current workforce crisis. Whilst the certainty around exemptions is welcome, we continue to call for a delay to the implementation of mandatory vaccination scheme within care homes until the wider consultation across health and care has concluded.”

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Note to Editors:

• The National Care Forum brings together over 150 of the UK’s leading social care organisations, representing large numbers of care providers, offering thousands of services across the country, which are not for profit and always at the heart of community provision. Collectively, these organisations deliver more than £2 billion of social care support to more than 167,000 people in 9,200 settings. The NCF membership body collectively employs more than 95,500 colleagues.
• More information is available on the National Care Forum at www.nationalcareforum.org.uk. @NCFCareForum @vicrayner @NCF_Liz
• For enquiries, please contact Edna Petzen, petzen@nationalcareforum.org.uk
• *In April 2021 £341million was provided for the period 1 April 2021 to 30 June 2021. In July 2021 £251 Million was provided for the period 1 July 2021 to 30 September 2021. The current funding level of £388 covers a six month period.