Liverpool City Council is set to increase the hourly rate paid to home care companies.
It follows a detailed review of the fees paid to firms whose staff provide help and support to care for around 2,600 people in the city, enabling them to live at home in safety and comfort. They include older people and those with learning disabilities, mental health needs and physical and sensory impairments.
A report to the Cabinet is proposing an increase which would take the hourly rate up to £11.88 from the current payment of £10.92, backdated to February 2015.
Deputy Mayor and Cabinet member for adult social care, Councillor Roz Gladden, said: “Home carers do a tremendous job keeping some of our most vulnerable residents safe.
“Due to the financial challenges facing the city council, we have not been able to increase fee rates for some considerable time, so I am pleased that we are now able to propose an uplift.
“In calculating the revised rate we have looked closely at the amount paid by other local authorities in the region as well as taking into account the costs for home care companies, and allowing for a reasonable return.”
The new rate will take effect until the end of the year, when a new set of home care contracts will be commissioned. They will aim to deliver a number of improvements, including reducing delayed discharge from hospital by speeding up the time taken to set up care packages, and reflecting travel time and travel costs for home carers in the fee rate.
The report will be considered by the Cabinet on Friday 22 May.
