Is your local authority struggling with urgent staffing needs due to COVID-19? Do you need help to access the new £120 million fund available to support social care staffing? We’re here to help.
Published 1 February 2021
Last updated 1 February 2021
The government announced a new £120 million fund to help local authorities boost social care staffing levels on 17 January. This is in addition to the £149 million grant system announced in December to support increased testing in care homes.
The £120 million fund can be used to:
- provide additional care staff where shortages arise
- support administrative tasks so experienced and skilled staff can focus on providing care
- help existing staff to take on additional hours, if they wish, with overtime payments or by covering childcare costs
Whether COVID-19 is creating staffing challenges due to absence, you need extra people to support the NHS Test and Trace and vaccination programmes, or you have a need specific to your authority, we can help.
How we can help
Our Non Clinical Temporary and Fixed Term Staff framework can help you recruit staff quickly and easily in a range of areas including:
- administration and clerical
- caterers, drivers, security, estates and maintenance
- finance, accounts and audit
- IT technicians, analysts and technical engineer specialists
If you need experienced healthcare staff, such as social care workers and nurses, the Clinical and Healthcare Staffing framework can help you find suitable temporary workers.
Both frameworks are open to all public sector organisations, as well as being part of the NHS Workforce Alliance portfolio. They are free to use and quick to access. There is no on-boarding process, so you can get started straight away and deal directly with your chosen suppliers. You can award a call-off contract directly or run a further competition, if you prefer.
Between the 2 frameworks you will have full coverage of all clinical and non-clinical roles. This includes access to suppliers who specialise in niche and hard to fill roles, and suppliers who specialise in the provision of high volume pieces of work.
Compliance is an important part of both frameworks. All suppliers are inspected annually by an external inspector, as well as a mandatory requirement for a yearly self-audit. This means you can be assured that the workers you recruit through our frameworks have had their compliance checks completed in a robust manner.
Getting started
Visit the framework pages and click on the documents tab. You will find a range of guides to help you get started, along with a copy of the overarching terms and conditions that all suppliers work to.
If you would like a copy of the rate card for either framework, or further advice and support, simply email info@crowncommercial.gov.uk
You can also call us on 0345 410 2222 or complete our short online form.