26 Jul 2017

VODG welcomes Government’s commitment to resolve sleep in crisis

VODG welcomes the Government commitment to work with the social care sector to find solutions to sleep in shifts. We have been in active discussions with Government to create an appropriate framework for sleep in payments, in the light of tribunal interpretations and guidance, since 2014.

VODG chief executive, Dr Rhidian Hughes, said:

“VODG welcomes the National Living Wage and fully supports implementation. The social care sector has been fast approaching a crunch point in terms of HMRC enforcement action. The announcement by Government is very welcome, timely and a significant step forward. We will continue to work with central and local Government and employers to reach agreement on the future funding of essential services for disabled and older people who require on-call support during the night.”

Dr Hughes goes on to say:

“But there is much more detail to work though. We need to agree a solution that works for the sector and avoids significant litigation. This includes removing the risk of back pay claims against employers.

Through the forthcoming negotiations VODG is committed to ensuring that the future arrangements work for all parts of the sector, and that includes individual employers, such as those who use personal budgets, so that they are not disadvantaged in any way.”