Agenda item

To submit a report by the Head of Adults’ Services.

The report of the Head of Adults’ Services seeking the Executive’s approval to set the rate for independent sector care home fees for 2024/25 was presented in accordance with the requirements of the Social Services and Well-Being (Wales) Act 2014.

Councillor Alun Roberts, Portfolio Member for Adults’ Services presented the report which set out the proposed fee levels for Residential, Residential EMI, Nursing, and Nursing EMI care for the 2024/25 financial year. The Local Authority is required to review independent sector care home fees annually to coincide with Central Government’s changes to benefits and pensions levels.

The Head of Adults’ Services reported that in setting fee levels for independent sector care homes, the Council needs to show that it has fully considered the cost of the provision in determining is standards care fees. This is done in collaboration with the other North Wales local authorities and the Heath Board by utilising a Reginal Fee Methodology as a benchmark. This model has been used as a benchmark for 2024/25 and the regional methodology toolkit has been adapted to include a market supplement for EMI provision again this year. Currently there has been no confirmation that all authorities in North Wales will use the regional methodology as a basis to set their fees for 2024/25. Work is ongoing with the Council’s counterparts in the region to ensure that Anglesey’s fees are comparable. Having regard to local circumstances, the availability of provision, demand pressures as well

as the regional formula, Anglesey proposes to increase its fees by 8.8% for 2024/25 in recognition of the financial pressures faced by providers. This exceeds the inflationary uplifts calculated using the regional methodology and is well above the 2.5% increase in the Council’s settlement from Welsh Government. Anglesey’s proposed fees for 2024/25 are set out in Table 2 of the report. The 8.8% increase if approved will apply to homes which accept the Council’s standard rates. Anyone currently in receipt of fees above the indicative rate will be asked to share financial information with consideration of a monetary uplift. The Authority will consider individual submissions from providers regarding fees and if it can be shown that the fee set is not sufficient in any individual case, the Authority will consider exceptions to the fee rates in accordance with the process outlined in the report.

It was resolved –

·      To approve the recommendation to increase the fee levels as follows –

Residential Care (Adults) - £774.47 per week

Residential (EMI) - £865.46 per week

Nursing Care (Social Care Element) - £851.81 per week

Nursing Care (EMI) (Social Care Element) - £1,005.03 per week

·      To authorise Social Services and the Finance Service to respond to any requests from individual homes to explore their specific accounts and to utilise the exercise as a basis to consider any exceptions to the agreed fees. Any exceptions to be agreed with the Adults’ Services Portfolio Member, the Director of Function (Resources)/ Section 151 Officer and the Head of Adults’ Services from within current budgets.