A price hike to the cost of NHS funded nursing at care homes of nearly £200m a year could put “significant pressure” on clinical commissioning groups’ budgets, commissioning leaders have warned.
The Department of Health announced last week that the cost of a place in a care home with nursing will rise from £112 to £156.25 a week, which will be backdated to April.
The decision follows an independent review by Mazars, which recommended the 40 per cent increase.
The audit firm said the rate increase, based on DH figures saying there were 83,165 people receiving NHS funded nursing care in quarter four of 2014-15, is estimated to cost £657.7m a year.
Based on the same number of NHS funded care residents, HSJ has calculated this will mean an increase of £191.4m a year on the current tariff.
Full story in the HSJ 21 July 2016