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 Spring Direct Payment Update
Please note that there was an error in the email address used in the Careskills Academy online training section of the version of this bulletin sent out last week. The email address should have been direct.payments@shropshire.gov.uk and is now correct in the section below. Apologies for any confusion caused.
Shropshire Council have reviewed the fee increase for 2024/25 and considered the following:
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Provider feedback and current challenges
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The impact of changes to the National Minimum Wage (NMW)
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Demand and capacity in the market
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The Council’s budget position
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Benchmarking with other local authorities
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Delivering ‘The Shropshire Plan’ 2022-2025.
For employed Personal Assistants (PA) the standard rates will remain at the 2023/2024 rate of £11.75 an hour. The employed PA rate continues to meet the legal national minimum wage increase for 2024.
For self-employed PAs the standard rate will remain at the 2023/2024 rate of £16 an hour.
For domiciliary care the rates have been capped at a maximum £24.69 for 2024/2025.
Any provider already receiving a higher hourly rate will not receive an uplift. If you use your direct payment to purchase a day service provision, this will be uplifted by 6% for 2024/2025.
Most eligible uplifts will be applied by the end of May 2024. All eligible uplifts will be backdated to the 1 April 2024.
If you have concerns about the information above, please contact the First Point of Contact on 03456789044 to request a review.
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Next virtual drop in - Thursday April 18th
If you have any direct payment queries or issues we aim to provide chance to chat with the direct payment team every few months. The next online Teams meeting providing a drop-in clinic will be Thursday April 18th at 1:30pm. Joining details below.
Drop in at any point during the hour or for the whole session – whichever is more valuable to you. Last time we had several people join and discussed financial assessments, personal contributions and recruitment experiences.
Join on your computer, mobile app or room device:
Meeting ID: 330 622 545 390
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Careskills Academy Online Training
Now available online training courses for employers to offer to their personal assistants (PAs). This is an opportunity for updating essential training and offering professional development to your personal assistants.
Over 95 courses are available include the care certificate, dementia awareness, end of life care, first aid, food hygiene and moving and handling. If you would like to request registration for your personal assistant, you can email direct.payments@shropshire.gov.uk
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Employers - Keeping track and encouraging annual leave
Employers are legally required to enable PAs to take their holiday entitlement throughout the year. Annual leave is important for the health and safety of PAs.
The leave year runs from the beginning of April through to the end of March. Annual leave must not be carried forward into the following year. Funding for annual leave and cover is included in the direct payment so all leave can be covered by replacement PA support. If you have any concerns or need help to keep track of PAs annual leave speak to your payroll provider.
You can contact your social care team to get advice and confirm contingency arrangements by calling the First Point of Contact team on 03456789044.
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For all our latest updates go to our news webpage, and for general information on direct payments go to our homepage.
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