Care homes unite in Fair Fees Forum

250 care homes owners have united to form the Fair Fees Forum to take court action against the current level of fees being paid to them by local authorities. The forum, which is made up of both single-home establishments and larger providers, wants a judicial review of how much they are paid by councils for state-assisted places in their care homes. Their solicitor will argue that the weekly fees are too low to cover the homes’ costs of providing 24 hour care plus meals and other local authority-funded services. Ray Purewal of Aston Brooke solicitors comments that legal action has become necessary as fee negotiations between councils and providers ‘...haven’t been happening.’ Jenny Owen, president of the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS), defends the current fee structures, stating that: ‘Last year we increased the fees, nationally on average, by 2.8%, and we're expecting to do the same again this year...we are trying, but in very difficult circumstances for local authority budgets to give a reasonable uplift, on the fees that have been negotiated.’ You can read more on this story and find related articles at the BBC website.