Sue Cawthray Archives - The Stray Ferret

Delaying cap on costs would be a ‘slap in the face’, say Harrogate care leaders

Social care leaders have warned that another delay in the government’s long-promised cap on care costs would be a “slap in the face” for the struggling sector.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is reportedly preparing to put back the £86,000 cap on the amount people pay for care across their lifetime by a year or more.

And now there are further uncertainties over the planned reforms after the resignation of prime minister Liz Truss on Thursday.

Mike Padgham, chair of the Independent Care Group which provides services in North Yorkshire and York, said not introducing the cap as planned in October 2023 would be a “betrayal” of people who are facing the “nightmare of paying their care costs and having to sell their homes to do so”.

He said:

“It is seven years since the introduction of a cap on care costs was first hit by delays and we cannot keep seeing this reform get kicked further and further down the road.”

Sue Cawthray, chief executive of care charity Harrogate Neighbours, also said there had been no let up for the sector which is struggling with rising costs and staffing shortages, and that another delay by the government would be a “slap in the face”.

She said:

“We seem to be stuck on a merry-go-round and just can’t get off because of all the challenges that are being thrown at us.

“When is the government going to recognise the terrible situation that health and social care finds itself in?”

Although the reforms are planned for next October, the cap and other measures which mean people with assets under £20,000 won’t have to contribute to their care costs are due to be trialled several months earlier in North Yorkshire.

North Yorkshire County Council was chosen as one of six local authorities to introduce the changes in January as part of a “trailblazer” scheme.

The authority declined to comment on the national reports of delays.

The long-awaited reforms to fix the broken social care system come as the average weekly cost of residential care in the Harrogate district has risen to £1,029.

That figure remains the highest in North Yorkshire and is equivalent to almost £54,000 a year.

Harrogate care costs climb to £54,000 a year as ‘colossal’ price rises bite

Harrogate’s high care costs are being compounded by the cost of living crisis as bosses warn that they have no choice but to pass on some of the “colossal” price rises to residents.

With care homes being hit by huge increases in energy and food prices, the average weekly cost of a residential care home in the district is now £1,029.

That figure remains the highest in North Yorkshire and is equivalent to almost £54,000 a year.

The climbing costs come at a time of significant workforce pressures as care homes continue to rely upon agency staff and constantly recruit to try to fill vacancies.

Sue Cawthray, chief executive of care charity Harrogate Neighbours, described the price rises as “colossal” and said further increases in insurance costs and workers’ wages were adding to the pressures of keeping care services running.

Sue Cawthray, chief executive of Harrogate Neighbours

She added that the only way for care homes to be able to keep their costs down was for the government to provide more funding and support for services.

Ms Cawthray said:

“There is a serious shortage of funding in health and social care.

“This has been going on year after year and the situation is only getting worse as more people get older and need to go into care.”

After years of funding cuts and promises to fix the broken care system, the government earlier this year announced a new £86,000 cap on the amount anyone will have to spend on care over their lifetime.

This was due to be funded by a 1.25% rise in National Insurance, however, the tax rise was reversed by prime minister Liz Truss and funding will now come from general taxation.

The price cap and other measures are to be tested out as part of a “trailblazer” scheme which has seen North Yorkshire County Council chosen as one of six local authorities to introduce the reforms several months ahead of elsewhere.

There are, however, questions over when this will begin next year and if it will entail a huge bill for the county council.

Aside from the trial, Cllr Michael Harrison, executive member for health and adult services at the authority, said it was doing “everything possible” to support the care sector, although he added these efforts were being made “within the constraints of the funding allocated by central government”.

He said:

“We continue to make the case to the government for comprehensive reform and funding of social care.

“The council is implementing a three-year deal to address the actual cost of care provided by care homes, ahead of many other local authorities.

“We are now working with the sector on a similar long-term plan for home care.”

Meanwhile, the county council has further plans to build an extra care facility after purchasing a £1.8 million plot of land at Harrogate’s Cardale Park, and there are also proposals to introduce “micro-providers” in more rural areas.

Cllr Harrison added:

“In the Harrogate area, we are pursuing several projects to try to improve market conditions, including identifying potential new opportunities to provide care directly.

“We are also hoping to see the introduction of micro-providers in rural areas and are working with care providers to pilot new workforce models, attracting people to the sector with the prospect of the rewarding careers which can result from caring for others.”

Harrogate Neighbours warns of care home closures

The chief executive of a Harrogate care charity has warned the energy crisis could force some care homes to close without urgent government action.

Sue Cawthray, chief executive of Harrogate Neighbours, said spiralling bills were already being felt by care providers, with the charity’s own gas costs more than doubling over the last 12 months to over £90,000.

She added the looming winter and further price rises was a “huge concern” for the care sector, which looks after the most vulnerable in society. Ms Cawthray said:

“Those working in social care are responsible for people’s lives and we have got to make sure that not only are our residents warm, but also that food costs are addressed.

“I have a colleague who is a small care provider and very concerned about how he is actually going to pay the wages, nevermind keep people warm.”

New prime minister Liz Truss has pledged to “act immediately” on the energy crisis – with a price freeze funded by government-backed loans to energy companies widely expected.

But with the full details of the plans yet to be announced, Ms Cawthray said the charity was already looking at different ways to reduce its energy costs, including the use of heating monitors in residential rooms and solar panels.

She added that any government plans must include care homes and charities like Harrogate Neighbours, which provides residential care and a hot meal delivery service. She said:

“The government needs to be helping out everybody – it worries me just how people are going to cope.

“We use a huge amount of energy, not just in our residential areas but also in our kitchens and for our meals on wheels service so we have really got to think about our costs.

“This is a huge concern for us as we are a not-for-profit organisation

“At The Cuttings, our residents are responsible for their own bills so we have got to ensure they are not going to be turning down their heating to save money.

“We are going to have to be creative and innovative, as we always are.”

Harrogate care boss relieved as government ends mandatory covid testing

A Harrogate care boss says she is relieved after the government announced an end to mandatory covid testing in care homes.

Sue Cawthray, chief executive at Harrogate Neighbours, said homes were now trying to adapt to the “new normal” and scrapping testing would save time.

The Department of Health and Social Care announced that routine asymptomatic testing will end on August 31 in hospitals and care homes as covid cases fall nationally.

However, testing for symptomatic cases among residents and staff and those being admitted to a home from hospital will continue.

Ms Cawthray said the ending of asymptotic testing will also be a relief for care home residents.

She said:

“Removing mandatory testing in care homes is a huge relief as testing takes up considerable time – not only administering the tests, but logging the results as well as having to ensure all staff are doing it within the guidelines, Residents have been fed up with the testing regime too – we are all trying to return to the new normal.

“We are still being asked to wear PPE and we will continue to be vigilant with staff and residents by reporting any positive cases. Staff will still have to let us know through our sickness reporting system if they have any symptoms and then they will test as per the guidelines.”

The end of mandatory testing comes as the NHS is set to roll out Autumn covid booster vaccines for those aged over 75 and who are most susceptible to serious illness.

Ministers have encouraged people to take up the jab, which will be available to book through the National Booking Service ahead of a rollout starting from September 12.

Steve Barclay, health and social care secretary, said:

“Thanks to the success of our world-leading vaccination roll-out, we are able to continue living with covid and, from August 31, we will pause routine asymptomatic testing in most high-risk settings.

“This reflects the fact case rates have fallen and the risk of transmission has reduced, though we will continue to closely monitor the situation and work with sectors to resume testing should it be needed. Those being admitted into care homes will continue to be tested.

“Our upcoming autumn booster programme will offer jabs to protect those at greatest risk from severe COVID-19, and I urge everyone who is eligible to take up the offer.”

Harrogate Neighbours set to relocate residents to Boroughbridge

Harrogate Neighbours is set to relocate some of its residents to a new home in Boroughbridge.

The not-for-profit organisation, which provides residential and community care, has acquired a new site formerly known as Springfield Garth in Boroughbridge from North Yorkshire County Council.

The site is undergoing refurbishment and will see residents from 28-bedroom Heath Lodge on Pannal Ash Road, Harrogate, moved to the new facility.

Sue Cawthray, chief executive of Harrogate Neighbours, said:

“We have been working very closely with North Yorkshire County Council and the local authorities to identify a suitable site that will allow us to offer and deliver excellent quality care to residents and clients now and in the future.

“The site in Boroughbridge will enable us to grow and develop our services into the community, as well as providing job opportunities within the care sector. We are delighted to be moving to the area and we look forward to being part of a supportive and caring community.

“Heath Lodge residents and their relatives have been updated on the relocation and have all been very supportive on the move. We look forward to welcoming them and new residents to the newly named ‘Heath Lodge Community Haven’ in the next few months.”

Harrogate Neighbours said the new building has larger communal areas, wider corridors and improved facilities.

Heath Lodge Community Haven is due to open November 2022.

Cllr Michael Harrison, North Yorkshire County Council’s executive member for Health and Adult Services, added:

“Harrogate Neighbours provides much needed services in this part of North Yorkshire and we have been very pleased to help make sure this very positive development could happen.

“It not only brings a building back into use but offers potential for growth and an opportunity to be more sustainable, whilst caring for older people in the local area, which is of paramount importance for our ageing population.”

Care home managers warn staffing crisis is ‘only getting worse’

Harrogate care home managers have warned the staffing crisis is only getting worse and that it will inevitably cause more bed blocking problems for the NHS.

Sue Cawthray, chief executive of Harrogate Neighbours, described the current situation as “dire” and said she has “never known it as bad as this”.

She said:

“The sector is desperately short of care staff.

“At Harrogate Neighbours we can’t increase our packages for home care and we are struggling to keep our care home above water, with staff having to work extra time to cover spare shifts.”

Susie Harrison, manager at Highgate Park care home and chair of Harrogate and District Registered Managers Network, also said the staff shortages were the “underlying cause” of delays in discharging hospital patients into care homes.

She said:

“Care homes can’t take any more residents because they don’t have the staff and this means people end up stuck in hospital – that is the reality of the situation.”

Hospital can’t discharge patients

Harrogate District Hospital has confirmed it currently has around 40 patients who no longer require hospital care but can’t be discharged because they do not have a suitable location to continue their recovery.

This latest figure comes after the hospital recently warned it was “very full” and that this was having an impact on waiting times.

As well as the social care staffing shortages, Dr Matt Shepherd, deputy chief operating officer at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, said covid is also playing a “big part” in the bed blocking problems.

He said:

“When care homes have had to close due to covid outbreaks, or the service they provide has been affected due to their staff being unable to work after catching the virus or having to self-isolate, we have been unable to discharge patients into their care.

“We know how being in a more familiar location can aid recovery and we are working closely with our partners in social care to ensure patients who no longer require hospital care are able to be discharged as soon as possible.”

There are currently around 1,000 vacant care jobs across North Yorkshire and a recruitment campaign has been launched by North Yorkshire County Council to try address the shortfall.

Make Care Matter campaign

Make Care Matter aims to change perceptions about working in the sector which has endured a major challenge to attract and retain staff long before the current crisis.

Since the campaign launched in January, 268 job applications have been progressed, with 197 interviews resulting in 91 job placements.

Senior officials at the county council have said this shows some progress has been made, although they added it will take more than a recruitment campaign to solve the staffing problems.

Richard Webb, corporate director for health and adult services at the county council, said government promises to reform how social care is funded and how much staff are paid will be the key.

He said:

“We have seen a step-change in the care market since summer 2021, with very tough competition in the labour market, which is having a significant impact on care providers being able to recruit.

“The county council and the NHS have put additional funding into the sector to help sustain services, manage covid-19 and, recently, to support the workforce, including a one-off pay bonus for 16,000 care workers.

“Whilst the council welcomes the government’s proposals for changing how much people pay for care, we also want to see national action to help stabilise care providers and to improve the pay and status of care workers.

“In the meantime, we work closely with our care providers and NHS colleagues to ensure that as many people can go home from hospital as soon as is safe and feasible to do so.”

Harrogate care boss ‘frustrated’ at vaccine rollout

The chief executive of a care charity in the Harrogate district has spoken of her frustration over the rollout of the coronavirus vaccine.

Care home residents and staff are classed as high risk groups and are among the first to be vaccinated as part of the national programme.

The government has set a target of February 15 to offer the vaccine to all vulnerable groups.

But Sue Cawthray, chief executive of Harrogate Neighbours, which provides accommodation for older people, has said so far no residents or staff at its premises have been vaccinated.

Harrogate Neighbours operates Heath Lodge on Pannal Ash Road and the Cuttings on Station View.

Ms Cawthray told the Stray Ferret she understood GPs were under pressure but the lack of communication was frustrating.

She said:

“Personally, I think the whole vaccine thing is a bit of a nightmare. None of us have had it yet. We’ve got a handful of people at the Cuttings who have got appointments at the Great Yorkshire Showground.

“The vaccine only arrived in Yorkshire on Thursday so I’ve got to give them a chance. I’ve been told they’re giving it to the larger care homes first. When they had the first vaccine, they did that because of the way it came in quantities and had to be used quickly or it was thrown away.

“The GPs are under so much pressure anyway. People are still ill with other bugs. They’ve just finished doing flu vaccines and now they’ve got this to do. Part of me feels sorry for them because it’s such a big undertaking for them.

“The communication is really bad still. Everything comes out late. We’re just finding it frustrating. We were asked way before Christmas for lists and forms ready to receive the vaccine. Now here we are in mid-January and we’ve not even had a phone call.”

According to North Yorkshire County Council figures today, 79 out of 235 North Yorkshire care settings, which includes care homes and extra care facilities, has one or more covid cases among residents of staff.

Health chiefs have urged care homes to be vigilant over visits from family and friends, even with the vaccine rollout.

Richard Webb, director of health and adult care at the authority, said:

“Though it’s hard with a new lockdown, the vaccines have arrived and in the coming weeks and months more and more people in our settings will have much greater protection against the virus.

“But for now, we have to assume that the new, more transmissible variant of covid is in our county so, although everybody is tired, we must redouble our efforts to stay safe and to protect our care home residents and staff. Above all we must all stay vigilant with facemasks, hand washing and social distancing.”

Mr Webb added he has also asked care homes to be patient on the rollout of the vaccine.

“My main message to providers today is please be patient. The vaccination will be made available to people using your services and to your staff and this will happen in the coming weeks as more doses of the different vaccines become available. It is better that the vaccination programme is implemented in a safe way, than rushed.

“Local NHS colleagues are working around the clock and, as soon as the national distribution system delivers new vaccine batches to North Yorkshire, they will be contacting people to vaccinate them. In most cases, GPs and their teams will be contacting you. However, in some cases, your local hospital may also offer vaccinations to staff and to people using services.”

Can you help deliver hot meals to vulnerable people?

A charity that delivers hot meals to older people has issued a plea for more volunteers during the lockdown.

Harrogate and Ripon Foods Angels needs extra help because of rising demand for its services and a reduction in volunteers due to shielding.

The food angels prepare and deliver about 120 meals daily for vulnerable people in Harrogate and Ripon.

Today’s plea is not only for individual volunteers but also for businesses: for instance, two staff at Harrogate firm Slingsby Gin help every Thursday.

The service not only provides meals but also helps reduce isolation among vulnerable people during the pandemic.

Sue Cawthray, chief executive of Harrogate Neighbours, which oversees the food angels, said it expected demand for meals to increase in the weeks ahead and any help would be appreciated. She added:

“New shielding guidelines have forced regular and willing volunteers to take a step down, which has left a big gap in the number of people we need to deliver the meals each day.

“We are asking those individuals or local businesses who can spare some time to please do so, so that we can continue to provide the much-needed service into the community.

Volunteers follow government guidelines and protocol, including wearing PPE.

For more information on volunteering visit here or call 01423 888777.

Christmas meals for older people in Harrogate district

About 85 meals will be delivered to the doors of older and vulnerable people in the Harrogate district on Christmas Day.

Harrogate and Ripon Food Angels has been providing meals since 2012 but this is the first time it is providing the service on December 25.

Staff and volunteers dressed festively will cook, pack and deliver a traditional Christmas dinner, Christmas pudding, mince pie and a cracker for those in need of a meal and some cheer.

Harrogate and Ripon Food Angels is part of Harrogate Neighbours, a charity that cares for older people.

It cooks 100 to 150 meals daily at its Starbeck base for beneficiaries, whose needs have been assessed.

In previous years, the food angels have delivered double their daily quota of meals on Christmas Eve to prepare people for Christmas Day.

But Sue Cawthray, chief executive of Harrogate Neighbours, told the Stray Ferret this year’s long Christmas bank holiday weekend meant some people would be alone for long periods, hence the decision to venture out on the 25th.

She added:

“Our priority is to tackle social isolation and to support those most in need in our community all year around, but particularly on special occasions.

“When we received the requests for our meals on wheels service to run on Christmas Day, we quickly reached out to some volunteers who agreed without hesitation to deliver meals on the day.

“We’re incredibly lucky to have such dedicated and supportive volunteers and we look forward to feeding the community and spreading some Christmas joy to those who may be on their own for the first time this Christmas.”

To volunteer to deliver meals, or to support Harrogate Neighbours through donating, fundraising, sponsoring an event or to join the team, visit www.hnha.co.uk or call 01423 888777.

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Hospital can’t discharge patients

Make Care Matter campaign

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