Government must bring back COVID funding to safeguard ‘ lives and livelihoods ’ , says UNISON        

UNISON and the Care Provider Alliance (CPA) have written jointly to Sajid Javid urging him to reinstate Covid funding for social care. The letter to the health and social care secretary says the government’s decision to end the adult social care covid infection control fund (ICF) – at a time when virus rates are still high – is an ‘incredibly dangerous move’ that will ‘cost lives’. Introduced in May 2020, the £1.75bn fund gave financial support to care providers so they could continue to pay full wages ​to staff while they were self-isolating. However, funding was stopped at the end of March in a move criticised by UNISON and the CPA, which brings together the ten main national associations representing independent and voluntary care employers. The ​two organisations say in the letter that it is ‘beyond belief’ that this ‘vital financial lifeline’ has been cut for low-paid staff trying to protect vulnerable people, ‘particularly during the worst cost of living crisis in over 60 years’. The letter goes on: “The government should be encouraging and rewarding staff for doing the right thing by self-isolating, not making it impossible for them to feed their families. “Growing numbers of care workers are being forced to turn to food banks as budgets are stretched to breaking point. Others are having to leave jobs they love in search of better paid and more secure work.” UNISON and the CPA warn in the letter that major worker s...
Source: UNISON meat hygiene - Category: Food Science Authors: Tags: News Press release adult social care infection control fund Source Type: news