To approve payments to registered care providers, to enable bonus payments to be made to all frontline care staff in Herefordshire. Frontline workers would include any staff who are essential to delivering care, including some catering or cleaning workers. The payments are intended to promote retention of essential workers during a time of very significant workforce challenges.  Payments will total £500 for each worker and will be made by registered care providers as the employers, through their payroll. The cost of the payments will be met through the Workforce Recruitment and Retention Fund, supplemented from the council’s own resources. The payments will be made between January and March 2022, and will be funded from the Workforce Recruitment and Retention Grant and council reserves earmarked for adult social care.

That:

a)    Payment is made to all registered care providers in Herefordshire to enable them to make bonus payments of £500 to each frontline care worker in the county, during the period to March 2022, to a maximum total cost of £2.4m and;

b)    Authority is delegated to the Interim Director for Community and Wellbeing to approve all processes and operational arrangements required for the payments to be made.

1.             Not to enable bonuses to be paid to frontline workers. This option is not recommended as it would miss an opportunity to promote staff retention in the care sector during a time of critical workforce challenges. There is also significant expectation among registered providers that payments will be made, as they have been in other parts of the UK, utilising the government grant available

2.             To enable payment of bonuses lower than £500 and rely solely on government grant to fund the costs involved. This option is not recommended as the proposed council enables the payment of bonuses at a meaningful and recognisable level. Further more than has been positive reaction from care providers and other stakeholders to the council committing its own resources to the bonuses.

3.             To make a single payment to providers to enable a lump sum bonus of £500 or other amount. A single bonus payment is not recommended as for low paid and part time workers, it would increase the risk of adversely affecting their entitlement to universal credit or other benefits.

4.             To pay the money to care providers as employers, leaving it to their discretion as to exactly how and when it is paid to workers. This is not recommended, as the council needs to be assured that the funds go directly to frontline workers. The discretionary approach would create a direct audit requirement and significantly increase the administrative burden of the scheme for council and providers.