Kirklees
Council and NHS Kirklees Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) aim to join forces
to support the independent care sector in Kirklees.
Under new
proposals going to cabinet next week, existing support for the care home market
will be bolstered by investing £119,000 in the Kirklees Care Association as a
strategic partner. The association will provide the independent care
sector with a single, strong voice in the market enabling better working
relations with the council, CCG and Integrated Care System. The monies
will be used to form a business structure for the Kirklees Care Association and
to support two years of operating costs.
A strong
Kirklees Care Association will provide opportunities to work differently and
will support and encourage care quality development and management across the
sector; develop in partnership, sector wide digital innovations and system
support as well as improve joint working on staff recruitment, retention,
training and development.
Councillor
Musarrat Khan, Cabinet Member for Health and Social Care said: “The COVID-19
pandemic has had a significant impact on the care sector across Kirklees and we
know that longer term national reform is needed to sustain the sector. We
must act immediately to prevent further damage to an already fragile
independent market in the borough.
“We need to
support our local providers so that they can continue to provide good quality
care for some of our most vulnerable residents in Kirklees. Through these
proposals we hope to strengthen the existing Kirklees Care Association and see
that we have the right people, in the right numbers to provide safe and
effective care for those who need it.”
If proposals
are approved, care businesses and their staff as well as partners across the statutory
and voluntary health and social care market will play stronger role in the
delivery of vital care services at a local level to meet the needs of our
communities.
