Social care chiefs urge government to reinstate Infection Control Fund

The Care Worker’s Charity (CWC), The Care Provider’s Alliance (CPA) and The Relatives & Residents’ Association have written an open letter to Health Secretary Sajid Javid asking the government to reinstate the Infection Control Fund and support care workers who still face an 'impossible choice' between work and their families due to Covid-19.

The call comes after the Infection Control and Testing Fund came to an end on 4 April and the government introduced guidance requiring care workers to continue to self-isolate for up to 14 days without guaranteed sick pay.

The letter’s signatories, Karolina Gerlich, chief executive of the CWC; Martin Green, chair of the CPA and Helen Wildbore, director of the Relatives & Residents Association are warning the recent changes to Covid measures will have a direct negative impact on the lives and wellbeing of people who use social care and those who work in it.

The letters states: ‘The guidance contains an expectation for social care workers to continue to self-isolate if they test positive for COVID-19, potentially up to a period of 14- days, without guaranteed full sick pay as the government has removed the funding that enabled this.

‘This is presenting an impossible choice for care workers who are being forced to choose between their wellbeing and that of their families, and those that they provide care and support to.

‘No other part of society is being forced to make such a choice. The quality of care received by people is being heavily impacted by workforce issues caused by COVID and government guidance. Overtired care workers that are desperately worried about their finances cannot be expected to deliver great care. This will make the workforce crisis worse.

‘If the government removes the financial support to ensure all workers receive full sick pay while isolating, then it is likely many more will leave the sector. The knock-on implication is greater unmet need and more services handing back care packages because they don’t have the staff.’

In the first four weeks of this year, The Care Workers’ Charity paid over £113,000 to 206 care workers in Covid grants which provides support to those in dire financial pressure who need to self-isolate.

Demand for this support grows day by day at the same time as the available funding is shrinking and during 2020 and 2021 £2,585,519 was paid by the charity to 3,985 care workers.

According to Skills for Care, the vacancy rate in social care reached 9.8 per cent in February 2022, up from six per cent in March 2021.

The letter also states: ‘The demand is much greater than what the charity can support and it is unacceptable that care workers who do such important work should need charity to meet their basic needs. The need is now even greater due to the sheer scale of the cost of living crisis.’

The signatories have called on the government to:

• Reinstate the Infection Control and Testing Fund for as long as guidance remains in place requiring workers to isolate and receive full pay.

• Central and local government must ensure providers are funded adequately to enable proper pay, terms and conditions, including sick pay, for frontline social care workers.