A social care champion has warned that a lack of fair funding from Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board is worsening the crisis in hospital discharges in North Wales.<\/p>\n
Mario Kreft MBE, the chair of Care Forum Wales, said care homes are being left to shoulder \u201creal terms cuts\u201d when the nursing needs of care home residents become more complex and serious.<\/p>\n
According to Mr Kreft, the situation is a \u201ctravesty\u201d and a \u201cbetrayal of the most vulnerable people\u201d.<\/p>\n
In a letter sent to all Members of the Senedd in North Wales, Mr Kreft said the 4.72 per cent increase offered by the BCUB for Continuing Health Care funding for 2025-26 was the lowest of any health board in Wales \u2013 and far short of what was needed to meet rising costs.<\/p>\n
The plight facing seriously ill care home residents in Conwy was, he said, particularly stark.<\/p>\n
The majority of residents who need nursing care are on Funded Nursing Care (FNC) which is paid by local councils who are then reimbursed by the relevant health board.<\/p>\n
But when their needs become more acute and complex they move to a different care package called Continuing Health Care (CHC) which is paid directly by the health board.<\/p>\n
In Conwy, there\u2019s now a \u00a35,000 a year drop in funding when that transition happens.<\/p>\n
Care Forum Wales are due to meet health board officials on November 6 to try and find a way forward.<\/p>\n
The issue, he said, had been brought into sharp focus by news that \u201csignificant and urgent\u201d improvements were needed to the way the health board was run.<\/p>\n
A new report on BCUHB, which remains in special measures, revealed that \u201cexpected improvements in operational delivery are not yet being realised\u201d.<\/p>\n
One of the areas for major concern is the way Continuing Health Care is funded.<\/p>\n
Mr Kreft said: \u201cIt is a significant issue, not least because it\u2019s causing ever more serious delays in hospital discharges with people being marooned in hospital when they shouldn\u2019t be there.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the heart of this matter is the health and wellbeing of our most vulnerable people and what we need is fair funding to ensure that they received the best and most appropriate care.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we can unlock this problem, it will also have massive benefits for our hospitals in North Wales and the patients queuing up in ambulances outside because there are no beds available.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are thousands of beds in care homes which are a bit like mini community hospitals and they could and should be used to alleviate the pressure on the NHS.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s clear from this new, depressingly familiar report that the dysfunction within the health board is still a major issue.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey need to work with the social care sector and appreciate the value of the brilliant service provided by care homes in North Wales.<\/p>\n
\u201cBy focusing on cost\u00a0 instead value, the current short-sighted approach will come back to haunt them and have disastrous consequences for our most vulnerable people.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the letter to Senedd members Mr Kreft said the current situation was \u201ccompletely unacceptable\u201d and that 4.7 per cent increase funding from the health board didn\u2019t even cover the additional National Insurance contributions that employers are now required to pay.<\/p>\n
He added: \u201cWe\u2019re seeing health boards elsewhere in Wales recognising these pressures with uplifts closer to six per cent.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur analysis shows a 7 per cent increase is needed just to stand still. Anything less is effectively a cut \u2014 and that\u2019s unsustainable for local care homes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Kreft said the failure to adopt a recognised national system for calculating CHC fees, such as Care Cubed or Laing & Buisson, had led to \u201cperverse outcomes\u201d like the situation in Conwy.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve seen people\u2019s needs become more serious, yet the funding goes down. That\u2019s a travesty,\u201d he said. \u201cIt defies logic and sends entirely the wrong message about how we value the most vulnerable people in our communities.\u201d<\/p>\n
The row comes amid growing concerns about hospital discharge delays which health chiefs have repeatedly blamed on difficulties in finding community placements for patients who are ready to leave hospital. .<\/p>\n
Care Forum Wales said the situation has been made worse by BCUHB\u2019s refusal to negotiate meaningfully with providers.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are six months into the financial year and no real progress has been made,\u201d said Mr Kreft.<\/p>\n
\u201cDespite our repeated attempts to engage constructively, we\u2019ve encountered intransigence from officials who appear to regard the 4.72 per cent offer as final.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want to reset the relationship on a more positive footing. The vast majority of care homes in North Wales are small, family-run businesses rooted in their communities.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey want to help relieve the pressure on the NHS \u2014 but they can\u2019t do that if they\u2019re being forced to run at a loss.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat should happen is that the health board works in true partnership with the care homes in North Wales.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey should appreciate the value of these important community services which can allow thousands of hospital patients to be discharged, which is the best solution for all concerned, most importantly for the people for whom we provide care.\u201d<\/p>\n