Care homes asking residents to cough up £100 a week more to cover coronavirus costs

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ELDERLY and vulnerable people are forking out an extra £100 a week to help social care providers stay afloat, a charity has said.

Care home residents have told Age UK they are being asked to pay an extra 15 per cent per week, which amounts to an extra bill of £127.65, on top of their existing fees.

The average weekly fee for a care home is £851.

Age UK has said the residents are being asked to pay more due to rising costs

It comes as homes are having to spend hundreds of thousands of pounds a month on acquiring PPE to prevent the spread of COVID-19 between staff, residents and visitors.

In March, the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) said providers’ costs would rise between 30 per cent and 40 per cent to cope with the challenges of the pandemic.

Separate research by ADASS and the Local Government Association (LGA) suggests social care providers will experience £6.6bn in potential extra costs between April and September.

Meanwhile local authorities have been given £3.2bn and the Government also announced a £600m infection control fund.

But social care providers have complained that much-needed funds are not reaching the front line.

Around 400,000 people are living in care homes in England, with 167,000 believed to be self-funders and 45,000 part self-funders.

Age UK director Caroline Abrahams said: “It is adding insult to injury that after going through so much, some residents who pay for their own care are now facing a big extra bill – on top of already expensive fees.”

Councillor Ian Hudspeth, chairman of the LGA’s community well being board, said he recognised care providers were facing extra costs but said people living in care homes shouldn’t be “penalised” this way.

The LGA added: “We look forward to working with Government on finding a solution to the immediate pressures facing the sector, including a significant further injection of funding, as well as agreeing a long-term, sustainable funding settlement for social care once this current crisis is over.”

The Department of Health and Social Care would not confirm whether it will provide more funds to councils, but said it will keep future funding needs under review.

A spokesman said: “We have now made £3.2 billion available to local authorities to address pressures on local services, including in adult social care.

“We have also provided a further £600 million to help reduce the infection rate in care homes. This funding is specifically ring-fenced for adult social care and we are writing to local authorities to confirm it is being spent in helping further protect those most in need.

“We are working closely with local authorities to ensure funding is distributed fairly and that it reaches the front line where it is needed most.”

The extra payment is not the only issue elderly people have faced in recent times.

One widow, 96, has received a payout of more than £117,000 after being underpaid her state pension for 20 years.

Meanwhile struggling households have been warned against ‘quick fix’ promises from loan sharks.

And grandparents can get £250 pension credits for looking after kids over the phone during lockdown.