UKHCA
Working for QUALITY in HOME CARE
Helpline: 020 8288 5291

Media Release : White Paper and the homecare sector - 13/07/2010

The leading domiciliary care representative, United Kingdom Homecare Association (UKHCA), gave a cautious welcome to proposals in yesterday’s White Paper on the reform of the National Health Service, “Equality and Excellence: Liberating the NHS”.

The Association hopes that proposals to devolve the purchasing of community-based healthcare to General Practitioners will redress the current disproportionate purchasing power of primary care trusts, allowing more efficient and responsive services to be developed between GPs and community-based care providers.

Homecare is an essential component of effective social care, and the independent and voluntary sectors have a track-record of cost-effectiveness, currently charging around half the cost of services provided by councils.

However, the Association wishes to draw attention to the potential costs for new GP consortia and providers through creation of new contracting arrangements. UKHCA’s Chair, Mike Padgham, said:

“The Association hopes that because GPs are close to people who use services, their commissioning practice will recognise the importance of contracting services based on quality and the need to commission services at a price which enables them to be sustained long-term.

“It is clearly undesirable that cost savings made from primary care trusts are not just passed on to independent and voluntary sector providers by way of the additional administration.”

In addition, the Association welcomes that a single body (local authorities) will be charged with leading the integration of health and social care locally.

Clarification of the future role of the Care Quality Commission as the quality inspectorate has been extremely timely, and the Association looks forward to the forthcoming debate on the proposed consumer champion, HealthWatch, and how providers could use its findings constructively to continue to raise the quality and effectiveness of services.

Ends.

Notes for Editors

1. The United Kingdom Homecare Association (UKHCA) is the professional association for more than 1,800 domiciliary care providers in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The mission of UKHCA is to represent its members and to promote and support the sustainable provision of high standard homecare.
2. UKHCA represents 33% of independent and voluntary sector providers across the UK. Its member organisations are estimated to provide 1.7 million hours of care each week, valued at £1.08 billion per year, and delivered to 115,000 service users at any one time. 
3. Homecare is the provision of personal social care services to people in their own homes. For many, homecare is the alternative of choice for people who would otherwise need to move into residential accommodation.
4. The majority of homecare is funded by the state (currently by local council social services departments and Primary Care Trusts). However, social care is largely delivered by independent and voluntary sector providers.
5. A high resolution royalty-free image of Mike Padgham, quoted in this release are available for download from www.ukhca.co.uk/images/highres/mikepadghamhires1.jpg
6. UKHCA’s website can be found at www.ukhca.co.uk. 
7. For further information please contact:
   Colin Angel, Head of Policy and Communication, UKHCA
   Direct Line: 020 8288 5297
   Mobile: 07920 788993
   E-mail: colin.angel@ukhca.co.uk.

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