The Welsh government is providing £22.7m in extra funding to help meet the additional costs incurred by adult social care providers as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The money is in addition to the £40m Cardiff made available to local authorities in April to assist the adult social care sector.
The latest funding will be available immediately through to the end of September, when the Welsh government will review the situation again.
“The initial payment of £40m helped the sector meet the rising costs incurred during the pandemic in areas such as staffing, increased infection control, higher food prices and greater use of ICT to keep families in touch with their loved ones where they were no longer able to meet,” said Welsh health and social services minister Vaughan Gething (pictured).
“This further funding will ensure adult social care providers can maintain their vital care in what continues to be challenging circumstances,” he added.
In a related development, a Welsh government funded, bespoke Samaritans helpline dedicated both to NHS and social care workers has launched today.
The service will be available daily between 7am and 11pm offering confidential support tailored for individuals working in health care settings, provided by trained volunteers.
A Welsh language service will also be available between 7pm-11pm daily from the outset, and will be scaled-up over time to replicate the opening times of the English language line as more bi-lingual volunteers are recruited and trained.
“Over time, learning gathered from the uptake of this service will help us to make longer term plans for the health and wellbeing support offer for our health and social care workforce, in line with the ambitions set out in A Healthier Wales,” said Gething.
