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An additional fee of £30 per person will be paid to care providers who deliver residential and/or nursing care services on behalf of the council. The increase is to cover the anticipated rise in inflation caused by the cost of living crisis and to enable providers to pay their staff the Real Living Wage.

The current instability of the social care market presents a significant risk to the council’s ability to purchase the services it needs from providers due to the pressures they are under to meet rising costs of food and energy prices, insurance fees, lease agreements, maintenance and loan agreements.

Councillor Jo Hale, Neath Port Talbot Council’s Cabinet Member for Adult Social Services and Health, said:  “The care home market is currently facing unprecedented pressures and challenges during this period of economic uncertainty.

“Increasing the fees we pay to our providers will help to bring stability and improve the council’s ability to purchase the services it needs to help residents.

“We recognise the essential role that care home providers play in looking after older people in Neath Port Talbot, and are pleased that the increase will also enable providers to pay their staff the Real Living Wage.”

The council currently commissions 288 placements in older people care homes to deliver both residential and nursing care. Plus, it commissions an additional 140 placements to deliver only residential care.

The decision to implement the fee uplift was made at the Social Services, Housing and Community Safety Cabinet Board held on the 10th November.