The Care Forum Wales has recently resigned from the North Wales Fee Setting Group in protest at Local Authorities “deprioritising care” approach.
Following this Janet Finch-Saunders MS/AS for Abeconwy has today questioned the Welsh Government about providing sustainable funding for care homes in Wales. Recently, the Care Forum Wales (CFW) have revealed that fees paid by local authorities in North Wales are up to £11,000 a year less per person than those on offer from their counterparts.
Speaking in the Senedd today, Janet said.
"The current fee setting model clearly needs addresses. The reality is that a 50-bed care home in Torfaen will receive £546,000 a year more for providing residential EMI care than a similar sized home in Anglesey, Wrexham and Flintshire and £444,600 more than a home in Conwy, for the same levels of care. This level of disparity between north and south is not right, and Wales cannot improve until all corners are on an equal footing.”
Commenting further, Janet said.
“The current system provides local authorities with funding of £1,500 per resident aged 85 or over, however, for those between the ages of 60 to 84 only £10.72. That huge gap shows flawed assumption that only those 85+ require council funded care and support.
“It is clear that the Welsh Government must take immediate action to address the social care crisis we are experiencing across our country and imbalances in funding for social care across Wales will only serve to exacerbate this issue. The Welsh Government must address this inequality now and deliverer the social care system that the people of Wales need and deserve.”