Coronavirus (COVID-19) Special Brief – 9 April 2020

Guidance on funding social care providers has been published by the Local Government Association (LGA) and Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS). This can be read here.

Today, we issued a response to the guidance. The proposed uplift of up to 10% for social care providers to address rising demand and costs caused by the pandemic is wholly inadequate. Thank you to our members who have been able to share and amplify our statement and key messages.

Alongside our statement, and with our Care Provider Alliance partners, we have written to Matt Hancock, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, and Helen Whately, Minister for Care, calling for the government to increase the funding available to the care sector. We will, of course, update on any developments.

Thank you to everyone who joined today's Keeping in touch call on the Job Retention Scheme, and thank you to our colleagues at Trowers & Hamlins for their input. We have included further advice from Trowers & Hamlins in the resources section below on the scheme as well as on the Chancellor's announcement of a £750million funding package for charities. Please also visit the VODG member COVID-19 Response Hubs for further discussion.

• Multiple pieces of guidance of great significance to our sector has been published today including on looking after people who lack mental capacity and for people providing unpaid care. Please see below for these publications, as well as the full LGA / ADASS statement on funding arrangements for social care providers.
• Digital Social Care, in collaboration with NHS Digital, is offering support to providers around the use of NHSmail.
• Our colleagues at Trowers & Hamlins have published a range of bulletins and legal updates relating to developments on the Job Retention Scheme and the government's £750m funding package for charities.
• All feedback, please email [email protected]