More than £4million to support care providers

FUNDING is being shared among care providers to ensure support remains available for those in need across East Sussex.

East Sussex County Council was awarded £4.982million from the Government Workforce Recruitment and Retention Fund (WRRF) and will be using the money to help providers who are facing unprecedented challenges in retaining their workforce.

The funding, which the county council fully expects providers to pass to their workforces, will ensure care can continue to be safely delivered in care homes and people’s own homes, help to prevent admission to hospital, and boost capacity among providers to enable them to deliver more hours of care.

Additional funding will also ensure those who need of ongoing care and support after a hospital stay are safely discharged as soon as they are ready to be.

The county council was initially allocated £1.75million from the WRRF, but an additional £3.23million was announced by central Government in December.

Following discussions with the independent care sector about how the WRRF could be used to provide the most appropriate support, East Sussex’s lead member for adult social care and health approved plans for distributing last month.

The funding comes at a time when there is increased pressure on the health and care system, which is heavily reliant on the availability of independent care homes and community care providers, while significant numbers of staff nationally are leaving or planning to leave the care sector.

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