Care workers protest over contract changes

Twm Owen, local democracy reporter

A review of how contracts to provide care at home were awarded will take place following anger at recently agreed changes.

Care workers who fear they will be forced from their jobs as their current employer lost contracts to provide care to elderly and vulnerable people at home picketed councillors who arrived for their April meeting.

The review won’t alter the domiciliary care contracts awarded by Monmouthshire County Council in its most recent retendering exercise for the south of the county but is intended to look at lessons learnt before the exercise is run in the north.

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Banners

Around 30 carers from Magor-based Lougher Home Care were joined by supporters at County Hall in Usk where they demonstrated ahead of the meeting and held banners with messages including ‘keep care local’, ‘choose quality not cost’, and ‘we are people not numbers’.

They also chanted ‘quality over cost’ and to the tune of ‘You Are My Sunshine’ sang ‘please don’t take our clients away’.

Under the council’s new arrangements it has awarded contracts for three areas across the south of Monmouthshire with Lougher Home Care awarded the Magor area meaning it will no longer operate in the Caldicot and Chepstow areas.

Staff will be able to transfer to new providers but fear less favourable working arrangements, though terms and conditions are protected under the TUPE process, and say disruption will negatively impact clients.

Anne Lynch, who came to support the carers and ask a public question at the full council meeting, said outside County Hall: “My husband Ian was looked after by Lougher for the last two years before he died and they were absolutely amazing and a tremendous support for me and him. They did so much for us and became part of the family.

“Ian was 65 when he died last October it is not just elderly people who receive care but disabled and people suffering life limiting illnesses like my husband. To lose Lougher would be an absolute tragedy and we need to keep care local.”

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'Out of the blue'

Henry Willis, of Chepstow, said he learned his care provider will change in a letter from the council, that came “out of the blue”, and said: “It didn’t even say you have a choice. I would only get a choice if I paid for my care entirely, then I could stay with them.

“I’ve been with Lougher for about seven years and I don’t want to change, I’m 82-years-old.”

At the meeting Mrs Lynch, from Caldicot, asked if the council would acknowledge those who’ve signed a petition requesting care stay with Lougher and allow residents to remain with the firm. She also asked why the council wasn’t allowing the contracts to run until people no longer needed care and said other providers could pick up new contracts at that point.

Lougher worker Jane Moore said in a question to the meeting 93 per cent of its staff have opted out of the TUPE process and will either retire or look for alternative employment outside of care and asked if the council had prepared for a potential reduction in the workforce.

'Difficult'

Ian Chandler, the Green Party councillor who is responsible for care in the council’s Labour-led cabinet, said the council “wanted to acknowledge what must be a difficult time”.

Cllr Chandler said there would be a three month transition period where providers will make handover arrangements and he said the TUPE process is yet to conclude but all agencies will have to pay at least the enhanced real living wage. Changes to contracts were also intended to provide more stability to providers and care arrangements including employment, added the councillor.

In response to Mrs Lynch the cabinet member said a gradual transfer of contracts would be similar to the system the authority wanted to replace where it spot purchased care as and when needed.

Cllr Chandler said no bidder had challenged the contracts awarded in the 14 day period to do so.

Following the public questions Lougher carers angrily left the meeting in disappointment.

A motion by Conservative councillor for Portskewett, Lisa Dymock, was later debated that called for a “full and transparent review of procurement processes to ensure a level playing field for small and local businesses”.

An amendment put forward by independent councillor for Llanelly Hill, Simon Howarth, so the council agreed to review the process and decision making involved in the commissioning of domiciliary care contracts in the south of Monmouthshire was also agreed.

Cllr Chandler, and other cabinet members, opposed the motion and the Green councillor for Llantilio Crossenny defended the care retendering as supporting local small businesses and said it was run by the Ardal body that runs procurement for some South East Wales councils with Monmouthshire only seeing financial scoring after quality scores.

The contract was based on 60 per cent quality and 40 per cent financial.

Independent Group leader, and Magor councillor Frances Taylor, said she had expected further information when the cabinet agreed a strategy for care changes in May 2024.

She also said the council’s budget has agreed to commission care from independent providers as they are cheaper than council staff and said local companies have raised “significant concerns” with decisions risking destabilising a largely female workforce.

Conservative group leader Richard John said the council’s process and the amount of detail it can require from bidders can be skewed towards larger, national firms and said a review should be held before contracts in the north are tendered.

The council agreed, by 23 votes to 22, to hold the review with the vote of Labour councillor for Chepstow Bulwark and Thornwell, Sue Riley, proving decisive.