Fears Harrogate NHS Trust's new home care system may accidentally worsen town's shortage of social care

The Yorkshire and The Humber Care Association Alliance (YHCAA) argues Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust's decision to launch its own in-house home care service is in danger of backfiring and leaving vulnerable local people without care.

The Trust, which declined to comment, has in the past highlighted concerns that there wasn’t enough provision for home care in the independent sector in Harrogate to enable people to be discharged from hospital, adding to its problem of "bed blocking".

While sympathetic with Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust's motivation, Mike Padgham, YHCAA member and chair of the Independent Care Group, claimed the new in-house home care plan could create additional recruitment problems for the private sector, which might actually worsen the shortage of home care provision in Harrogate.

“While we understand the health trust’s concerns about delayed hospital discharges, setting up an in-house service isn’t a viable long-term solution,” said Mr Padgham.

“The trust will promise the most attractive pay, terms and conditions and future career progression opportunities that a role in the NHS can offer and create severe recruitment competition for independent and local authority homecare providers.

“That could lead to these other providers struggling to recruit and, in the worst-case scenario, ceasing to operate – which would lead to an overall loss of home care provision and vulnerable people going without the daily help and support they rely upon."

The YHCAA, which represents dozens of providers, points out that, nationally, the NHS and Local Authorities are underfunding the social care sector by 20/25% less that the calculated Fair Cost of Care (2022/3).

This, it claims, is the real barrier to staff recruitment and, therefore, the provision of social care.

Mr Padgham said: “The bulk of home care in the area is delivered by the private or not-for-profit sector, which has the track record of delivering it efficiently.

“If existing homecare providers were funded adequately there would be adequate provision to meet current and future demand."