North Wales MS Mark Isherwood has questioned the First Minister over the disparity in care home fees across North Wales, emphasising the correlation between the lowest care home fees and bed blocking in hospitals.
Last year, Mr. Isherwood called for a national approach to Care Home fee setting to provide a baseline figure and, in yesterday’s meeting of the Welsh Parliament, he spoke of the varying rates paid by the North Wales Local Authorities and asked what action her Government is taking to address this.
He said:
“In March, the not-for-profit Care Forum Wales - which, as you know, represents independent Social Care providers across Wales - published research showing the apparent correlation between Councils paying the lowest care home fees and hospitals with the highest percentage of patients unable to leave hospital due to a lack of available beds, or ‘bed blocking’.
“The Health Boards with the highest rates were Betsi Cadwaladr in North Wales and Hywel Dda. The two Councils with the highest percentage of patients waiting for beds so that they can be discharged were Anglesey and Gwynedd. Although they were amongst the lowest care-fee payers, they're also bottom when it comes to Welsh Government Local Government funding.
“Conwy, another of the Councils at the bottom of the Welsh Government's funding league, had a higher level of bed blocking, despite being a higher payer, but it does have the oldest population in Wales. And, despite paying the lowest amount per week for care places, Denbighshire had the lowest percentage of hospital patients in North Wales waiting for care beds, but still above the Welsh average.
“What, therefore, if any, action are you taking with Care Forum Wales to finally get to the bottom of this and get it sorted?”
In her response the First Minister said:
“I don't think these things are black and white; I think there are lots of different issues that we have to consider, but certainly the key thing, as far as I'm concerned, is that we make sure that those people who do work in the care sector are paid, and are paid the real living wage, as we have provided for.”
Speaking after the meeting, Mr Isherwood said:
“In reality, Care Forum Wales calculated that the sector faced a £40 million black hole in funding in North Wales and a £150 million gap across Wales in consequence of the announcement of increases in employers National Insurance contributions and the real living wage by UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves. They have also warned that funding for the real living wage did not reach all parts of the sector because it is not ringfenced and some Councils choose to spend the money on other things.”