CHESHIRE East Council has joined the County Council Network and Association of Directors of Adult Social Services in calling for major extra government funding to meet the rising costs of adult social care during the Covid-19 crisis.

Following the start of the pandemic Cheshire East carried out a survey of care providers, which identified significant additional costs as a direct result of Covid-19, including agency staff, overtime, cleaning and IT.

This survey also highlighted extra unforeseen costs for care providers, including supplying additional uniforms for infection control, an increase in the price of food, more recruitment, a drop in income due to a reduction in private clients and the capacity to provide other services.

Cllr Laura Jeuda, Cheshire East Council cabinet member for adult social care and health said: “The impact of Covid-19 across Cheshire East and the rest of the country has been profound.

“Some additional funding is supporting residents in care homes, those who receive care at home, staff who are ill or self-isolating, residents who have been shielding, victims of domestic abuse and those suffering from poor mental health.

“We are also supporting a small but significant number of families and friends of residents who have lost their lives.

“The pandemic has placed unprecedented demands on care providers, not only from a financial perspective, but also in terms of their legal and moral duty of care to their staff and residents.

“The sector, including 92 care homes, 59 care at home providers and 73 complex care providers, has shown remarkable resilience in the ways it has addressed this challenge. We are calling on the government to inject more cash into adult social care to ensure it gets the support it needs to continue to provide services to our most vulnerable residents.”

Cllr Amanda Stott, Cheshire East Council cabinet member for finance, IT and communications, said: “Unlike the NHS councils cannot legally run deficits and must deliver a balanced budget. Now more than ever we need greater certainty about government funding for adult social care.

“Before the crisis 60 per cent of this council’s net budget was spent on providing support for people-based services, such as social care. These costs continue to increase as the population grows and people live longer."