'We might not be here in five years': Care home funding crisis in Calderdale
Some homes say they do not expect to still be open in five years
Hello and welcome to The Calderdale Lead!
The good news is that we’re nearly at the end of January (I think!). The bad news is, we’re not quite there yet.
I’m not sure why January always feels like the longest month - it may well be a combination of being skint, the weather and the post-Christmas lull.
But we’re nearly there…
In today’s edition, we’ve got a report on care homes in Calderdale and how the adult social care funding crisis is leading to some predicting they may not survive.
My LDR colleague John Greenwood has more below.
Plus, a couple of nuggests in the Calderdale Digest.
So, on with the news…
Don’t forget at the minute we’re running a special paid subscription offer with 50% off an annual sub. Just click here for more details.
Calderdale Digest
🚌 Residents in Calderdale are being given the chance to talk to regional representatives about issues concerning them and future plans.
Meetings are led by local councillors who have responsibility for transport, in partnership with organisers West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) and the West Yorkshire councils.
Operators of transport services in each area are also invited to join the meetings and answer any questions about their services, says WYCA.
Topics will include the authority-backed Weaver Network for buses.
The Calderdale meeting is tomorrow (January 26) 5pm to 7pm at Brighouse Sixth Form College at Halifax Road, Brighouse.
Anyone wishing to attend must register beforehand on Eventbrite by clicking here – or by emailing yourvoice@westyorks-ca.gov.uk or calling 0113 245 7676.
⚽ Halifax Town made it three league wins on the spin yesterday with a 3-2 win at Eastleigh.
The Shaymen, who sit seventh in the National League table, got off to a great start in the ninth minute with Will Harris acrobatically firing his side ahead.
The hosts equalised just before the half hour mark but Harris restored Town’s lead on 40 minutes with his 12th league goal of the campaign.
Adam Lakeland’s side survived a scare in the second half when Eastleigh were awarded a penalty but keeper Sam Johnson was more than a match for the spotkick.
Florent Hoti looked to have put the game beyond Eastleigh’s reach but Lloyd Humphries made it a nervy last 10 minutes for the travelling faithful, converting a penalty to drag his side back into it.
Town withstood plenty of pressure though and travelled back to Calderdale with another three points in the bag.
Staff shortages, unsustainable funding and lack of places: Grim picture for care homes in Calderdale
By John Greenwood
Some Calderdale care homes say they do not expect to be operating in five years’ time with the adult social care funding crisis deepening in the borough.
A Care Home Review group of councillors found care homes in Calderdale need to be at around 85 per cent capacity to break even, a situation care homes say is “unsustainable”.
The issue is a national one, compounded by the cost-of-living crisis and increases in employers’ National Insurance contributions and the national minimum wage, they found.
Challenges in the care home market in Calderdale echo those nationally – staff shortages and staff turnover, financial strain and unsustainable funding, decreasing care home capacity and rising demand, they heard.
The councillors say the sector needs support and have made recommendations they think will help.
Pressures are set to rise with Calderdale’s population of over 65s predicted to rise from the 41,965 in 2025 to almost 51,000 in 2037, increasing demands on care homes – and also on unpaid carers, another crucial part of care – they found.
The review group councillors, Coun Ann Kingston and Coun Colin Huthcinson (both Labour) and Coun Christine Prashad (Lib Dem), spoke to a range of people including staff and residents at Calderdale care homes.
They found there is a shortage of general needs residential care in Calderdale.
This is partially due to the fee levels for different types of care and care homes looking to make the most profitable use of their facilities – and the authority of the council to influence new providers towards the highest need is “limited.”
With the council and partners’ “home first” strategy – allowing people to live in their own homes for as long as possible – in mind, their recommendations include requesting senior council officers increase support for unpaid carers of older people discharged from hospital back home, and the council should review its own support for these carers.
Recruitment and retention of staff are “real challenges”, with care homes competing with businesses like supermarkets and others able to pay better rates.
Pressures of the job have an impact on high turnover and another concern is the number of registered managers themselves getting older, with high percentage over age 55, they found.
The councillors recommend senior council officers encourage more independent care homes to consider collaborating with neighbouring homes to increase opportunities for training and career progression for staff, and to encourage increased use of the Care Quality Commission’s Registered Managers Service to share instances of best practice.
On funding issues, they recommend senior officers consider how to ensure more timely re-assessments of change of care needs – and subsequent funding implications – take place.
Communications with registered managers and care home directors also need to be improved, they said.
The council’s Cabinet will consider the recommendations.
That’s it for this edition - thanks for reading!
We’ll be back on Wednesday with another edition. Don’t forget that if you want to get in touch about a story, or just to say hello, you can do so by emailing calderdale@thelead.uk
Cheers
Andrew
Important piece. That 85% capacity just to break even is a brutal margin, especially when supermarkets can outbid you for staff. The math doesn't work: high turnover drives quality down, which drives occupancy down, which drives financial viability down. I've seen similar death spirals in other sectors where the breakeven threshold was set too high to be sustainabel in real-world conditions.