Care home managers backing ESS proposals to stabilise the sector
There has been cautious acceptance of Employment & Social Security’s long-term care proposal from the Guernsey Care Managers’ Association and Age Concern.
It is proposed that the islanders going into care will have to pay much more than before, as fees have been nowhere near high enough to meet the costs of running the homes.
It is proposed that co-payment would increase gradually over the next five years from £342 to £514 a week, as well as the introduction of ‘user care cost contributions’ of up to £10,000 from every resident of long-term care with assets of more than £15,000, excluding the value of the family home.
Age Concern chairman David Inglis said that the proposal was a starting point for the future of long-term care, but was not sure that this would be the answer.
‘A load of people will hit the system in a few years and we have got to pay for it somehow,’ he said. ‘We always need to remember that they are businesses, and that they are expensive to run. That is not something that just affects Guernsey, but also the UK.’
However, Mr Inglis did think this would hit older islanders hard.
‘An older person only has one income and with price increases – not just here but water, electricity and gas – they get restricted.
‘It will affect their budgeting. It’s often the case that they get their pension reviewed in January and then things start going up.’
The GCMA released a statement following the publication of the proposals, saying they welcomed the policy letter, which follows long-term research from a UK care consulancy. This showed that the cost of running a care home in the island had increased by 30-38% since 2018 against an RPI increase of 21%.
'The standard rates paid under the long-term care benefit regulations have not kept pace with this increase in costs,’ it said.
'The policy letter states that the island’s care homes provide a cost effective way of delivering care. The viability of private care homes is critical to the overall provision of health care in Guernsey. Without these homes, those requiring care would often have to be accommodated in hospital, which may result in further delays/cancellations of surgery because of bed blocking.
'We support the policy letter and thank the ESS committee for their invaluable efforts in recognising the underfunding of care homes.’
