Further concerns have been raised about delays and blockages in the processes used to distribute £150m in covid support cash to frontline care providers.

The Coalition of Care and Support Providers (CCPS), which represents non-profit care organisations, says its members have received just 2.2% in government funding despite being responsible for around 20% of adult social care provision in Scotland.

The problems were echoed by Scottish Care, which said some its members were yet to receive any of the funding pledged.

A total of £262m has been set aside by the Scottish government for social care since the start of the pandemic. £150m of this is available to be claimed as ‘sustainability payments’ to help with increased covid-related costs.

Following the revelations, the Scottish Parliament's Health Committee has written to the Health Secretary urging her to resolve the issues "as a matter of priority". 

Continuing issues were highlighted in a letter to the committee from CCPS CEO Annie Gunner Logan, in which she suggests that the Auditor General should be asked to look into the situation following his commitment to “follow the pandemic pound”.

Audit Scotland confirmed to healthandcare.scot that social care sustainability will be considered as part of its work on covid-19.

Similar concerns emerged in August 2020, when CCPS said its members had seen “virtually nothing” of £50m pledged by the Scottish government in May.

At the time COSLA, which represents local authorities, admitted there had been “challenges” distributing the funding.

In the letter to the Health & Sport Committee, CCPS CEO Annie Gunner Logan said: ‘As well as pursuing individual issues on behalf of our members, we have made enquiries as to what the totality of the £262m has been spent on, given that so very little of it has found its way to this significant group of providers.’

A total of £8m had been claimed by the end of 2020 by 32 CCPS members providing data, but only £3.3m had been received, Ms Gunner Logan states.

‘The committee will perhaps wish to note that whichever formulation is applied, the proportion of total monies both claimed and received by this group, relative to their contribution to social care overall, is very modest indeed.’

Scottish Care National Director Karen Hedge said: “Scottish Care is aware that some providers have not yet received any financial support to enable covid response, and that there are many who are awaiting part-payment.

“We are committed to working with COSLA and the Scottish Government to move things forward. This work includes hosting a sustainability webinar with colleagues from both COSLA and the Scottish Government for Scottish Care members later this week in an attempt to unlock some of the blocks. 

“However, we do have general concerns about the varying administration and process required by Health and Social Care Partnerships across Scotland and the resulting impact on the ability to either agree to pay or make a transfer before the end of this financial year.”

An Audit Scotland spokesperson said: “The impact of covid-19 will be a key focus of our financial and performance audit work for the foreseeable future, and the sustainability of social care will be part of that.”

 

Read more: How £1.1bn health & care funding will be spent; What happened to emergency social care cash?; Further funding to help care providers hit by covid

Sign up to our bulletin for key health & social care updates straight to your inbox.