Coronavirus: Finance and Business
Coronavirus is going to impact on businesses – including care services. Access the latest information and guidance, including how commissioners can support care providers to manage pressures.
£300m extension of recruitment and retention funding – 10 December 2021
Government announces £300 million extension to recruitment and retention fund announced in October, to support recruitment and retention. It can be used to pay for bonuses and bring forward planned pay rises for care staff, fund overtime and staff banks increasing workforce numbers up until the end of March 2022.
This will in turn help reduce pressure on the NHS this winter by alleviating delays to discharge – freeing up beds and ensuring people are being cared for in the right place.
Adult Social Care Infection Control and Testing Fund: round 3 – 21 October 2021 - DHSC
The Infection Control and Testing Fund has been extended, with an extra £388 million of funding from 1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022 to support the care sector to put in place crucial measures over the winter period. The purpose of this fund is to support adult social care providers (including those with whom the local authority does not have a contract) to:
- reduce the rate of COVID-19 transmission within and between care settings through effective infection prevention and control practices and increase COVID-19 and flu vaccine uptake among staff
- conduct testing of staff and visitors in care settings to identify and isolate positive cases, and in order to enable close contact visiting where possible.
Hospital Discharge and Community Support: Finance Support and Funding Flows – 21 May 2021 - NHSEI
The government has provided a national discharge fund via the NHS to help cover some of the cost of post-discharge recovery and support services following discharge from hospital. NHS England and NHS Improvement have published Hospital Discharge and Community Support: Finance Support and Funding Flows This outlines the financial arrangements in relation to the national discharge fund for quarters 1 and 2 of 2021/22 (1 April 2021 to 30 September 2021). These financial arrangements apply for patients discharged or using discharge services during that time period, with updated guidance to follow for the remainder of 2021/22. If you have any questions please contact england.d2a@nhs.net
Workforce Capacity Fund for adult social care – 29 January 2021 - DHSC
Information for local authorities and adult social care providers on the £120 million Workforce Capacity Fund during coronavirus (COVID-19). This guidance sets out:
- the purpose of the fund
- detailed examples of measures that this funding can be used to pay for, with advice for local authorities and providers on how to implement these measures and estimations of the resources required
- information on reporting requirements
CPA response to Workforce Capacity Fund – 29 January 2021 – CPA
Responding to the announcement about the Workforce Capacity Fund, Kathy Roberts, Chair of the Care Provider Alliance has said: “… this new funding must be distributed at speed to support providers to manage the very real staff shortages and challenges they face… We must not lose sight of the need for a longer-term solution for the sector. The government must develop a sustainable People Plan.”
Risk, insurance and possible liabilities: CPA briefing – Updated 10 December 2020 - CPA
This note is provided by the Care Provider Alliance (CPA) to assist members in considering the potential risks and liabilities arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. It is not intended to be legal advice. Providers should seek independent legal advice if they have any concerns arising from the matters discussed in this note.
CPA also encourages care providers to seek insurance claims where these are appropriate, and to inform us of any problems in renewing policies, significant increases in prices, or new exclusions to policies as a result of COVID-19.
We are aware that this is an ongoing issue. We are monitoring insurance issues and reporting these back to Government and related agencies. We cannot, however, comment or provide advice on individual claims or policies.
We are continuing to seek evidence and push for support on insurance and indemnity issues. If you are facing issues with insurance and COVID-19, please let us know. Contact the CPA at info@careprovideralliance.org.uk.
This briefing was originally published in May 2020 and updated in December 2020. We will review this briefing again following the judgement in the Supreme Court FCA business interruption case. It is unclear if this judgement will be made before 31 December 2020.
ADASS budget survey Autumn 2020 – 23 November 2020 - ADASS
Tens of thousands of people are turning to social services for urgent help because of the impact of the Covid-19 crisis on families and individuals with support needs, who are unable to cope any further on their own or whose usual arrangements have broken down.
ADASS survey shows that:
- 82% of adult social services directors report rising demand for help from people being discharged from hospital;
- 69% report an increase in cases of domestic abuse and safeguarding of vulnerable adults;
- 63% report growing numbers of people seeking help because of the breakdown of unpaid carer arrangements through sickness or unavailability.
COVID Winter Grant Scheme – 23 November 2020 - DWP
Information on COVID Winter Grant Scheme funding to support vulnerable households.
Ministers endorsed a shared objective of facilitating some limited additional household bubbling for a small number of days, but also emphasised that the public will be advised to remain cautious, and that wherever possible people should avoid travelling and minimise social contact. In respect of Northern Ireland, Ministers also recognised that people will want to see family and friends across the island of Ireland, and this is the subject of discussions with the Irish Government.
The government’s ambitions for the sector and the challenges facing adult social care this winter. Added easy read version of the plan.
The furlough scheme will now be extended until the end of March, The next self-employed income support grant will also increase from 55% to 80% of average profits - up to £7,500.
Coronavirus (COVID-19): emergency funding for local government – Updated 22 October 2020 – GOV.UK
Allocations of additional funding to local authorities. Allocations updated to include a further £919 million of a further un-ringfenced funding to respond to spending pressures, announced 22 October 2020. Added Technical note on allocation of October COVID-19 local government finance package.
This updated Care Provider Alliance (CPA) briefing note provides further information and examples to support care providers’ reports to local authorities on additional expenditure on infection control arrangements because of COVID-19. It can be used by care providers to consider potential additional costs. Arrangements will vary across local authorities. If a care provider is unsure if a potential expenditure would be in scope of the Infection Control Fund Round 2, they should discuss this with their local authority.
Public sector insurance survey – 28 September 2020 – GOV.UK
GAD has published the results of its survey into how public sector organisations are managing their commercial insurance risks, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The immediate impact was a mixed picture. Most respondents experienced some change in claims costs, although whether this was positive depended on the type of authority and mix of risks. A third of respondents also reported a deterioration in their dealings with insurers.
“The survey results indicated a clear consensus on the outlook for the insurance market, with the vast majority (92%) anticipating adverse impacts. As well as price increases, there are concerns about restrictions on cover and reduced availability of some types of insurance.
“To mitigate against this, authorities are expecting to self-insure more of their risks and exploring alternative risk transfer arrangements.”
Deferral of VAT payments due to coronavirus (COVID-19) – 25 September 2020 – GOV.UK
The VAT payments deferral scheme ended on 30 June 2020 as previously set out. Updated to reflect announcement by the Chancellor on 24 September 2020 about the option to pay smaller VAT payments over a longer period of time has been added to the page.
Adult Social Care Infection Control Fund – Updated 21 September 2020 – GOV.UK
Sets out the infection control measures that the infection control fund will support, including information on the distribution of funds and reporting requirements. Added updated document ‘Reporting template: annex E of circular’ and updated deadline to 30 September 2020.
Emergency support instrument update – 18 September 2020 – GOV.UK
The UK has secured £31 million in funding through the European Union’s mobility package to assist the UK’s coronavirus response.
Infection Control Fund (ICF) extended with extra £546m fund – 17 September 2020 – GOV.UK
The Infection Control Fund has been extended to ensure care homes have the resources they need to halt transmission of COVID-19 throughout winter.
The fund can be used to pay staff wages for those self-isolating and hire more staff to restrict movement between homes.
£588m to help people return home from hospital – 21 August 2020 – GOV.UK
People needing additional follow-on care after being discharged from hospital will be supported by a £588 million fund to cover adult social care or the immediate costs of care in their own home. £588 million will provide up to 6 weeks of funded care and support for people being discharged from hospital. Funding could pay for additional support including domiciliary care, community nursing services or care home costs. Assessments for those needing funded long-term care or support to resume from September.
Reintroduction of NHS CHC: guidance – 21 August 2020 – GOV.UK
This document sets out:
- how NHS clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) will restart NHS continuing healthcare (NHS CHC) assessment processes from 1 September 2020
- how this aligns to the introduction of a maximum of 6 weeks of funded health and care recovery and support services after discharge from hospital.
£20 million in new grants to boost recovery of small businesses – 30 July 2020 – GOV.UK
£20 million new funding to help smaller businesses recover from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.
Infection control fund: Letter from the Minister of Care – 29 July 2020 - DHSC
The Minister for Care has written to Directors of Adult Social Care yesterday about the infection control fund. The letter clarifies intentions around the clawback mechanisms to try and reassure providers who have concerns around accepting this funding.
The letter states:
“Where providers have used funding on infection control measures as set out in the Grant Circular or as discussed with the Department, then the Department’s unequivocal position is that this will not be clawed back. I also expect the local authority to provide assurance to each provider to the same effect. I should be clear that the principal policy intent of the clawback provision is to ensure that local authorities distribute all the £600m funding to providers as quickly as possible, and that the department will reclaim any funding that is not distributed by local authorities to providers. While it is also correct that the clawback provisions enable us to recover any grant that is not used for the purposes it was given, to comply with state aid rules, as I have set out we do not envisage using it for such purposes unless there is a fraudulent activity or clear misuse of these public funds.”
The government has pledged £750 million to ensure VCSE can continue their vital work supporting the country during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, including £200 million for the Coronavirus Community Support Fund, along with an additional £150 million from dormant bank and building society accounts. The guidance has been updated to add other the following others sources of funding: Voluntary and Communities Sector Emergencies Partnership – £4.8 million; and Community Match Challenge – £85 million added.
£90m of the government's £750m VCSE sector support package is being made available to launch the Community Match Challenge and to support the Voluntary and Community Sector Emergencies Partnership.
Government invests £85m to double coronavirus charity fundraising – 18 July 2020 – GOV.UK
The Government will boost the fundraising efforts of funders and philanthropists by doubling the money going to charities in England. From 18 July to 31 August 2020, funds raised through selected coronavirus charity campaigns will be matched pound-for-pound through the new ‘Community Match Challenge’.
Coronavirus (COVID-19) care home support: council transparency data - 9 July 2020 - GOV.UK
A list of councils in England that have published transparency returns on how they’ve supported adult social care during the pandemic. Focus is on residential care, but also includes funding made available to other settings.
Coronavirus support for business from outside government – Updated 9 July 2020 – GOV.UK
Public bodies, organisations and charities have produced additional resources that may be useful to employers and employees. Added details about free recovery advice for businesses delivered by Enterprise Nation. Businesses can receive free expert advice on a one-to-one basis from professional and trade body members to help support recovery from COVID-19. The advice covers a range of topics including HR, legal, finance and marketing which will be specific to your business. Access the free advice scheme on Enterprise Nation’s website
Financial support for businesses during coronavirus – Updated 8 July 2020 – GOV.UK
Find out what financial support you can get for your business. Includes online business support finder which guides you through a series of questions to identify support that you may be entitled to.
How to apply for breathing space to consider a rescue plan for your company, under measures to support companies and other types of business in financial difficulty.
Government announces interim housing for thousands of rough sleepers taken off the streets during the pandemic to be provided.
ADASS Budget Survey 2020 Part 2 Impact of Covid-19 on budgets – 18 June 2020 - ADASS
Latest ADASS survey reveals additional financial pressures being faced by councils because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Planned savings of £608m to balance budgets and the loss of a minimum of £190m of planned income means that only 4% of directors are confident that their budgets are sufficient to meet their statutory duties. The risk of already fragile care markets failing has significantly heightened as a result of the impacts of Covid-19.
Infection Control Fund: Briefing for care providers on reporting to LAs – 12 June 2020 – CPA
This CPA briefing note provides further information and examples to support care providers’ reports to local authorities. It should be read alongside the Government guidance and related annexes.
The CPA is suggesting a limited number of different areas at a top level against which care providers can easily allocate costs, whilst also giving a series of examples to prompt providers to think about how to consider their full range of costs.
Infection Control Fund: guidance and annexes – 9 June 2020 – GOV.UK
Full guidance on the Adult Social Care Infection Control Fund, and annexes including reporting templates.
Apply for charity funding – 3 June 2020 – The National Lottery Community Fund
£200m is available for small and medium-sized charities / social enterprises in England. This is to help maintain and enhance services for vulnerable people affected by the current crisis and to support organisations experiencing income disruption and/or increased demand.
ADASS rapid provider support survey results – 20 May 2020 – ADASS
On 19 March 2020 the government made available £1.6bn to local government to contribute to additional costs associated with the coronavirus pandemic. Adult social care providers expressed some concerns very publicly that the funding was not reaching them. As a result, ADASS undertook a rapid survey of its members to ascertain their responses to supporting providers with additional funding and cash flow issues. ADASS has published the results.
COVID-19: Risk, insurance and possible liabilities – 15 May 2020 – CPA
A briefing note for care providers to help them to consider potential issues regarding risk, insurance, liabilities and indemnity. Note: this is not legal advice or formal guidance.
Our plan to rebuild: The UK Government's COVID-19 recovery strategy – 11 May 2020 – GOV.UK
This document describes the progress the UK has made to date in tackling the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, and sets out the plans for moving to the next phase of its response to the virus. It includes sections on: NHS and care capacity and operating model; protecting care homes and smarter shielding of the most vulnerable.
The purpose of this note is to share some financial information that was provided to the Minister of State for Care, Helen Whately, on 9 May. The note estimates the financial pressures in adult social care as approximately £6.606 billion including: costs of PPE, addition staff costs, infection control, and loss of income.
Contingency planning and financial implications for charities – NCVO
NVCO guidance on how to prepare for the potential impacts of coronavirus on charity's or voluntary organisation's operations and finances.
Crisis governance: support for trustees during the coronavirus pandemic – NCVO
Charity trustees are grappling with difficult decisions at the moment. NCVO has gathered together some key resources to help your board.
£14 billion for NHS and vital public services – 13 April 2020 – GOV.UK
Press release from HM Treasury. The funding has included more than £6 billion to support our health services, free up hospital beds and deliver urgent priorities including acquiring ventilators, diagnostic tests and protective equipment for NHS staff. HM Treasury support will also enable home delivery of medicines to the most vulnerable people in the country, and it has helped support medical and nursing students and retired doctors and nurses to join the front line.
COVID funding for care providers is ‘woefully inadequate’ – 8 April 2020 - CPA
CPA members’ response to Local Government Association’s proposed 10 per cent increase for COVID costs, and 5 per cent increase for increase in National Living Wage. Lisa Lenton, CPA chair says: “Local government leaders have said they are willing to review the situation at the end of April, so that more evidence can be presented to HM Treasury. We will assist them with evidence from our research and we will continue to demand that councils increase the funding available to the care sector, so that it can maintain services and keep people safe during this pandemic.”
Social care provider resilience during COVID-19: guidance to commissioners – ADASS, LGA, CPA
This guidance note is for local authority commissioners. It is designed to summarise pressures on social care providers arising from COVID-19, and to put forward ways in which commissioners can alleviate these pressures.
This guidance comes from a shared ambition to ensure that providers are supported to maximise availability of care and support and to remain operationally and financially resilient.
Commissioners will incur extra costs in meeting this guidance, and this will be a suitable use of each local authority’s share of the £5 billion announced in the Spring Budget 2020.
Topics include: collaboration, business continuity planning, cash flow, sick pay, workforce availability, rapid adjustment of support.
Guidance for employees, employers and businesses – GOV.UK
Information on Government support for businesses.
Support for businesses paying sick pay – GOV.UK
Small and medium sized businesses and employers to reclaim Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) paid for sickness absence due to COVID-19.
Letter from SoS Matt Hancock to chief executives. £1.6bn of funding to go to local authorities to help respond to COVID-19 pressures across all services. The funding is unringfenced and is intended to help councils address the specific pressures they, and providers, are facing in response to the pandemic.
Tax helplines for business and self-employed – HMRC
HMRC has a set up a phone helpline to support businesses and self-employed people concerned about not being able to pay their tax due to coronavirus (COVID-19).
The helpline allows any business or self-employed individual who is concerned about paying their tax due to coronavirus to get practical help and advice.
HMRC helpline 0800 0159 559
Coronavirus and benefits – DWP and Universal Credit
information about coronavirus and claiming benefits. Access information online. Benefit Claim Helpline 0800 0556688
£300 million announced for community pharmacies – 2 April 2020 – GOV.UK
Community pharmacies are receiving a £300 million cash boost to ensure they can continue to carry out essential services during the coronavirus outbreak.
NHS to benefit from £13.4 billion debt write-off – 2 April 2020 – GOV.UK
Health Secretary announces over £13 billion of debt will be written off as part of a major financial reset for NHS providers.
See all related information on coronavirus.
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