Reason for the decision:
On 1 October 2020, the government wrote to Local Authorities announcing that the Adult Social Care Infection Control Fund (first introduced in May 2020) was being extended until 31 March 2021, with an extra £546m of funding. This is a new grant with revised conditions from the original Infection Control Fund.
It is expected the grant will be fully spent on infection control measures (as outlined in the grant determination letter) by 31 March 2021. The guidance is clear that ‘spent’ means that expenditure has been incurred on or before 31 March.
The guidance states that local authorities should prioritise passing on the ‘per bed’/’per user’ allocation (as outlined below) to care homes and CQC-regulated community care providers (domiciliary care, extra care and supported living) in their geographical area. It is expected, where possible, this will take no longer than 20 working days upon receipt of the funding in a local authority, subject to providers meeting the conditions as stated in the local authority circular (October 2020).
It is unclear at this time whether further Infection Control Funding will become available either before or post 31 March 2021, therefore as part of this decision it is proposed that the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health, also agrees to accept any future additional Infection Control Funding should it become available which will be allocated in line with the guidance and terms and conditions issued by government.
Decision type: Key
Reason Key: Expenditure or savings of more than £1m;
Decision status: For Determination
Division affected: (All Division);
Notice of proposed decision first published: 28/10/2020
Decision due: 28 Oct 2020 by Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health
Reason: Urgent Decision
Lead member: Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health
Lead director: Richard Smith
Department: Social Care, Health & Wellbeing
Contact: Clare Maynard, Head of Commercial and Procurement Tel: 03000 416449.
Consultees
Has any public consultation been undertaken or is any planned?
No
Cabinet Committee consultation planned:
No Cabinet Committee consultation possible due to urgency process. Views will be sought from the chair and the Group Spokespeople of the Scrutiny Committee and the Chair and Group Spokespeople of the Adult Social Care Cabinet Committee. The decision will be reported retrospectively to the Adult Social Care Cabinet Committee in November 2020.
Have views been sought from local Members?
It has not been possible to seek views of local members due to the urgency of this decision.
Financial implications: The funding to the Council is received as a grant paid under section 31 of the Local Government Act 2003 ringfenced exclusively for actions which support care homes in reducing the rate of COVID 19 transmission. The total value of the grant to KCC is £16.65m. The guidance states that all funding must be used for COVID-19 infection control measures. Local authorities should pass 80% of each (of the two) instalment to: care homes within the local authority’s geographical area on a ‘per beds’ basis and CQC-regulated community care providers (domiciliary care, extra care and supported living) within the local authority’s geographical area on a ‘per user’ basis. This includes social care providers with whom the local authority does not have existing contracts. The allocations per local authority have been published in annex B of the local authority circular (October 2020).
Legal implications: Legal advice has been received to develop an Infection Control Grant Agreement between the council and the grant recipients, in line with the requirements from Central Government and KCC’s own contractual and commissioning policies. These agreements will need to be completed by the grant recipients before funding is released.
Equalities implications: In view of the urgency of this decision a full equality impact assessment has not been undertaken, but no significant adverse impact is considered likely on any people with a protected characteristic, as this grant will ultimately support and protect vulnerable and elderly people in care homes and in the community.