£7m aid plan for Barnsley's care homes

Members of Barnsley Council's cabinet are expected to approve a £7m recovery plan to aid the town's care homes, which have been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

The funding will directly support care providers in Barnsley, according to a report to cabinet members, which will be discussed at a meeting on Wednesday.

A report to cabinet members, which breaks down the funding, states that Barnsley care homes support over 1800 residents across 72 homes, which are mostly occupied by elderly residents who are vulnerable to covid 19.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

All care providers will receive a share of £3.1m to cover additional costs, such as temporary staff, increased statutory sick pay, and PPE, while a further £2.3M has been earmarked to fund measures to control the transmission of the virus between homes.

Coun Jenny PlattsCoun Jenny Platts
Coun Jenny Platts

A support plan has been established to ensure care homes are given the support, advice, guidance and tools they need to safely support residents through this outbreak and to ensure staff working in care homes are supported.

As part of this plan, one-off payments were made to social care providers in March, ranging from £5,000 to £50,000.

Read More
No details on how many BAME people have died from Covid-19 in Sheffield

Councillor Jenny Platts, cabinet spokesperson for communities, said: “I’m very proud of how we’ve pulled together as a caring community during this time. The care home support plan is reflective of a system-wide approach to supporting care homes. The plan was produced by Barnsley Council in conjunction with representatives from SWYPFT/Barnsley CCG/Barnsley Healthcare Federation/BHNFT, and I would like to thank them for their ongoing support.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“Understandably, care home managers and their support staff have been under a massive amount of pressure, and we have been providing them with a range of support including emotional support either over the phone, via technology or by face to face contact, where safe to do so. My thanks go to them and all the care home staff for continuing to provide great care and support to Barnsley residents.”

The council will also monitor the long-term financial sustainability of care homes, and offer support where possible.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to The Star website and enjoy unlimited access to local news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content.

Visit https://www.thestar.co.uk/subscriptions now to sign up.Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.