The IHCP emphasised that the 78p determine represents an increase to the tariff fee paid to suppliers, not a 78p pay rise for carers.
From that tariff, suppliers should a spread of prices together with wages, employer National Insurance contributions, statutory sick pay prices, supervision, insurance coverage and journey bills.
Pauline Shepherd, chief govt of the IHCP, told BBC Radio Ulster’s Good Morning Ulster programme that the 78p increase “goes nowhere near meeting the inflation”.
“This has been going on since November, we got in a position of the department saying that they feel that the costs are fully met – us saying that they’re not but the department is refusing to look at the evidence that we have and they won’t engage on it,” Shepherd stated.
“We have asked the department to give us a breakdown of how they come to the methodology of how they come to the figure – we can’t get that from them.
“The impartial sector simply cannot proceed with this, the true dwelling wage was promised again in September – did not come via and we’re shedding workers, we will not retain them.”
The DoH stated it has “been partaking, and can proceed to interact, in a spread of collaborative boards with impartial sector suppliers”.
“It could be incorrect to say that the Department is not actively partaking with homecare suppliers or their related consultant our bodies.
“IHCP has recently asked for a substantial level of associated information and the Department is in the process of collating the response in a transparent manner,” a DoH spokesperson stated.
