SOCIAL care providers will “go to the wall” if urgent funding is not handed to homes facing billions of pounds in extra costs during the pandemic, a charity warned today.

The sector needs to fork out £6.6 billion to cover additional costs such as personal protective equipment (PPE), staffing and deep cleans by the end of September, according to calculations by the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (Adass). 

Just 4 per cent of social care directors believe they have enough money to meet basic statutory duties this year, according to the charity’s survey.

This puts the safeguarding of adults from abuse and neglect at risk, the report claims. 

The report also found that councils could face losses of £190 million in 2020/21 due to the expected fall in the number of self-funded residents in care homes. 

Although the government has provided £3.2 billion to local authorities as part of an emergency package for care homes during the crisis, Adass claims that actual costs will “far outstrip” this. 

Adass president James Bullion warned that without action, “local authorities will run out of money, care providers will go to the wall, many of us will not get the care and support we need, and the economy will take a further hit as more of us are forced to give up work to fill the caring gaps.”

The charity is calling for a two-year ring-fenced funding settlement for adult social care to cover the additional costs of Covid-19.

It also wants to see long-term funding and a “new employment deal” for care staff, including more training opportunities and career progression. 

Unison assistant general secretary Christina McAnea said care workers have been “underpaid and ignored” for too long. 

“It’s vital care workers get a proper and lasting pay boost,” she said. “And one that does away with poverty wages once and for all.”

Care and Support Alliance co-chairs Caroline Abrahams, Emily Holzhausen and Jackie O’Sullivan said the pandemic has “laid bare the impact of years of underinvestment.” 

“This report also shows the need for long-term reform of the system so we can put an end to unmet need once and for all as we move beyond the pandemic,” they said. 

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said it is committed to bringing forward a plan for social care.