Care England, the largest representative body of independent adult social care providers, has repeated calls about the need for clarity around extending Government COVID-19 relief funds.

Professor Martin Green OBE, Chief Executive of Care England, says:

“Unfortunately COVID-19 doesn’t end on 31 March, but many of the relief funds for the adult social care sector, the frontline, do.  Without an extension to these relief funds the sector will be extremely hard pushed to deliver rigorous testing or infection control measures that are so vital in the fight against this virus”.

The key funds include:

• Infection Control Fund
• Adult Social Care Rapid Testing Fund
• Workforce Capacity Fund.

Care England has welcomed these funds as a critical means of delivering safe and effective person centred care despite the unprecedented resource, operational and workforce costs which the COVID-19 pandemic has imposed upon the sector.

Martin Green continues:

“Providers need to plan and whilst we really hope that extension funds will be put in place it is necessary to understand the way the sector works, in order that it can plan the best delivery of care possible which takes time, resources, certainty and budgeting”