Council bosses in Newcastle have slightly scaled back plans to slash payments for ‘sleep-in’ care staff – but are still pushing ahead with a 20% cut.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service revealed last week that Newcastle City Council was set to reduce the amount it pays social care providers in the city to cover the cost of overnight care at the homes of people with learning disabilities and autism. The initial proposals would have seen the funding reduced by 31%, down from £113.09 to £77.87 per night, and were branded a “kick in the teeth” by one worker.
But civic centre officials have now made a concession and agreed to lessen the scale of the cut in order to “further recognise the expectations of providers”. The new nightly rate now set to come into force from April 1 next year will be £90.34, which still amounts to a cut of just over 20%.
