A landmark decision by Gwynedd Council to fund nearer to the \u201ctrue cost\u201d of running care\u00a0homes will ramp up pressure on other local authorities in North Wales to follow suit.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s the message from social care champions Care Forum Wales (CFW) who welcomed fee increases of up to 25 per cent which they hailed as a \u201cvictory for common sense\u201d.<\/p>\n
Until now Gwynedd have worked closely with other North Wales councils when calculating the fees for care homes and nursing homes.<\/p>\n
But at a Cabinet meeting councillors voted in favour of \u201cstepping away from the north Wales standard fees\u201d.<\/p>\n
They have set aside an extra \u00a31.6 million to pay for the hikes in fees for the different types of social care.<\/p>\n
As a result, the weekly fee per person for Residential EMI care in Gwynedd has increased by 19.8 per cent to \u00a3780 while the rate for Nursing EMI care has gone up by 24.7 per cent to \u00a3900.<\/p>\n
That means funding for Nursing EMI in Gwynedd is now \u00a35,124 more a year per person than for exactly the same level of care across the Menai Suspension bridge in Anglesey.<\/p>\n
For a 40-bed care home, which is the average size in Wales, that\u2019s a whopping difference of \u00a3204,960 a year between the two counties separated by the Menai Strait.<\/p>\n
According to CFW, unless councils pay the real cost of care it increases the burden on hard working families and amount to a stealth tax as they have to make up the difference, to prevent care homes not being financially viable and closing.<\/p>\n
Mary Wimbury, the chief executive of CFW, said: \u201cWe are grateful to the councillors in Gwynedd for acknowledging their responsibilities and adopting a more realistic approach to setting fee levels to reflect the real costs of providing care.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis decision is hugely significant because it hopefully signals the end of the iniquitous North South divide in social care.<\/p>\n
\u201cApart from Gwynedd, all the other North Wales councils are lagging way behind in terms of fees, compared to authorities in South East Wales.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe fact that Gwynedd have essentially broken away from the other local authorities in North Wales\u00a0ramps up the pressure on others to finally do the right thing instead of treating the most vulnerable people in society like second class citizens.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnglesey, Denbighshire, Wrexham and Flintshire are all still paying rock bottom fees. The fees are so low that providers are having to refuse placements of potential residents because they don\u2019t cover anywhere near the true costs of care. Wrexham and Conwy have promised in year reviews of their fees.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a consequence those councils are effectively imposing a stealth tax on decent, hard-working families because care homes have been forced to charge top up fees to remain financially viable.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven so, we have seen a raft of care\u00a0home closures in recent times because the social care sector is incredibly fragile as was pointed out by the First Minister, Mark Drakeford, even before the pandemic began.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to Care Forum Wales, the mismanagement of social care over a quarter of a century had led to a postcode lottery of fees and an ever-widening North-South divide.<\/p>\n
Relations reached a new low earlier this year when CFW resigned from the North Wales Fee Setting Group \u2013 which also included representatives from the six local authorities in North Wales and the Health Board – amid claims that the region\u2019s councils were \u201cdeprioritising care\u201d even though they has been given more money by the Welsh Government to pay for it.<\/p>\n
A number of South Walian councils had already started bucking the trend and were\u00a0 offering more realistic fees.<\/p>\n
Among them was\u00a0 Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council whose members recently voted for increases of between 16 and 22 per cent.<\/p>\n
They agreed the hikes after studying a report by officials of the legal position which meant it was unlawful not to pay fees that took into account \u201clegitimate current and future costs faced by providers\u201d.<\/p>\n
The report considered by Gwynedd Council said the increases would fund the \u201creal costs of care\u201d<\/p>\n
It added: \u201cThe sustainability of the care sector is one of the main risks of the care sector, and this has been included on the department\u2019s risk register.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the most important factors in order to respond to the risk is to ensure that the fees that the Council set promote and sustain a stable and sustainable care market.<\/p>\n
\u201cReaching a current agreement on the new fees with our Providers would place us on a sound legal basis for the future.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere has been some attention and criticism in the media to north Wales fee levels in comparison with fees which are set by local authorities in the south.<\/p>\n
\u201cGwynedd fee levels and those of the remainder of the councils in the north are currently amongst the lowest in Wales.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe recommendation therefore is to increase all fees but to prioritise the nursing and dementia fees for a higher increase in order to sustain the market.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome other councils in north Wales have already noted that they are reviewing their fees as a result of the increase in costs and the pressures across the sector.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ms Wimbury added: \u201cThere is now nowhere to hide for all the other county councils in North Wales.<\/p>\n
\u201cGwynedd Council have demonstrated that where there\u2019s a will there\u2019s a way.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey have blown a massive hole in the fee setting cartel that was keeping the funding for social care artificially and unreasonably low.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is incumbent on the likes of Anglesey, Conwy, Denbighshire, Wrexham and Flintshire to take a close look at themselves in the mirror.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll we are asking for is fair and sustainable funding so that we can provide the best possible care for the most frail and vulnerable people in Wales.<\/p>\n
\u201cGwynedd have recognised their legal responsibilities and it now up to the other authorities to stop acting unlawfully and set fees that reflect the true cost of care.\u201d<\/p>\n