Lewes MP welcomes extra £1.2million funding for social care in East Sussex

The funds, part of a £120million of funding nationwide, will protect and support the social care sector, including care homes and domiciliary care providers, by increasing workforce capacity and increasing Covid testing.

The vital infection prevention and control guidance on staff movement in care homes is also being reinforced, with a reminder to providers to continue following the rules and keep staff and residents safe.

Mrs Caulfield said: “Our care sector staff work incredibly hard at the best of times but have gone above and beyond during the global pandemic.

“This additional £1.2million of funding from the government will help East Sussex County Council to provide high quality care across the county and keep residents safe as we roll out the vaccine.”

The funding will also help local authorities to boost staffing levels, a direct ask of the sector.

The money can also provide additional care staff where shortages arise, said Mrs Caulfield, support administrative tasks so experienced and skilled staff can focus on providing care and help existing staff to take on additional hours if they wish with overtime payments or by covering childcare costs.

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

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

The funds will also ensure such initiatives can continue, and help other local authorities implement similar schemes.

Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock said “This funding will bolster staffing numbers in a controlled and safe way, whilst 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.”