Mr John Howell Member of Parliament for Henley

House of Commons

London SW1A 0AA

Open Letter – Energy Price Concern for Social Care

Dear Mr Howell,

As a Small independent provider of high quality outstanding nursing care & support services in your constituency, supporting up to 90 vulnerable people and employing over 130 team members, and supporting countless local businesses, I am writing to request your urgent support to highlight the crisis we are facing in the enormous increases in our energy costs. As our representative in government, we need your voice to be heard on our behalf.

Social Care and support providers are facing eye-watering increases of in excess of 400% in their energy costs, both gas and electricity costs, which is simply unsustainable. The current energy crisis comes at a time when the sector is experiencing the worst workforce pressures the sector has ever known. Care and support providers are in a position where they must be able to offer better pay and rewards to retain and recruit staff, which is a direct impact of the pandemic. The current energy price rises present a very severe risk to the sustainability of care services in your constituency.

I would urge you to use your role and networks as an MP to help us achieve the following:

• Campaign NOW for parity NOW for support for the most vulnerable – it is a total scandal that the most vulnerable people in care & supported housing are excluded from the various measures in place to support people living in their own homes with their increasing energy costs, such as the £400 rebate. The Government have said that an equivalent to the £400 rebate will be provided to households not covered by the current support scheme – but it is unclear if it a) extends to care homes and b) how it will be provided.
• Add your voice to the call to ensure that local authorities must be funded to support all care providers in their area to cope with these extortionate price rises – the model of the initial Infection Control Fund would work, where LAs are able to pass on ring-fenced direct funding to all care and support providers struggling with their energy costs
• Bring your support to force the energy regulator to include care settings in the domestic price cap

As you will be well aware social care services provide a vital public service to the most vulnerable in our communities but have been largely ignored through the packages of support offered to the nation in dealing with the cost-of-living crisis we face as a nation. I am writing to you today as we need support to cope with the energy price crisis specifically.

Cavendish Close Ltd have been providers in your constituency for 33 years and support hundreds individuals throughout the year not to mention the local healthcare trusts with Short Stay Hub Beds. Our costs have continued to increase year on year for the past decade with funding having dropped in real terms. The energy price increase will impact on us with a huge increases and make our contracts and the support we offer the NHS and CHC, completely unaffordable.

I am asking you to:

• Write to the Secretary of State today to ask him to ensure parity for the most vulnerable and to give LAs the additional funds they need for ring-fenced support to care providers.
• Write to the leader of your local authority to ask them to join the campaign to ensure parity for the most It is imperative that we work together to push the government for increased financial support to LAs to support all care and support providers in their area to cope with these extortionate price rises – the model of the initial Infection Control Fund would work, where LAs are able to pass on direct funding to all care providers struggling with their energy costs
• Write to the regulator – OFGEM (email: consumeraffairs@ofgem.gov.uk) to urge them to include care settings in the domestic price cap

Thank you for your support Yours faithfully,

Sanjay Dhrona

Managing Director Cavendish Close Ltd