UKHCA Homecare pricing 2021/22
UKHCA regularly reviews the assumptions used to create our Minimum Price. For the rate which applies between April 2021 and March 2022 we have made the following changes from the last version:
• We have calculated the price based on the new rate of the National Living Wage, which increases by 2.2% from £8.72 to £8.91 per hour at the start of April 2021.
• Based on information supplied by two independent wholesalers and intelligence from homecare providers, we have increased our assumption for the costs of “standard” personal protective equipment (PPE) and consumables from an equivalent of 0.7% to 2.2% mark-up of careworkers’ costs (also called the costs of sale). This reflects the increased unit costs of gloves and aprons at the time of writing, which were over 300% of the prices paid before the coronavirus pandemic. While some of these items may currently be available from government-backed initiatives, these items represent “business as usual” costs which will be incurred irrespective of infection control practices required in response to coronavirus.
• We have excluded the costs of PPE specifically required because of coronavirus. These costs largely cover Type II and IIR facemasks and eye protection (and FFP3 facemasks, eye protection and gowns where aerosol generating procedures are undertaken). These items have been excluded because: either (a) governments in the four UK administrations currently have arrangements for supplying some or all of these items; or (b) the costs from wholesalers have been highly variable during the pandemic; or (c) the use of these items may change during 2021-22, subject to the effectiveness of coronavirus vaccination. While excluded from our calculations, these costs must still be recognised by the purchaser, where they are required (but not funded) by any of the four UK administrations.
• We have calculated the price based on the new rate of the National Living Wage, which increases by 2.2% from £8.72 to £8.91 per hour at the start of April 2021.
• Based on information supplied by two independent wholesalers and intelligence from homecare providers, we have increased our assumption for the costs of “standard” personal protective equipment (PPE) and consumables from an equivalent of 0.7% to 2.2% mark-up of careworkers’ costs (also called the costs of sale). This reflects the increased unit costs of gloves and aprons at the time of writing, which were over 300% of the prices paid before the coronavirus pandemic. While some of these items may currently be available from government-backed initiatives, these items represent “business as usual” costs which will be incurred irrespective of infection control practices required in response to coronavirus.
• We have excluded the costs of PPE specifically required because of coronavirus. These costs largely cover Type II and IIR facemasks and eye protection (and FFP3 facemasks, eye protection and gowns where aerosol generating procedures are undertaken). These items have been excluded because: either (a) governments in the four UK administrations currently have arrangements for supplying some or all of these items; or (b) the costs from wholesalers have been highly variable during the pandemic; or (c) the use of these items may change during 2021-22, subject to the effectiveness of coronavirus vaccination. While excluded from our calculations, these costs must still be recognised by the purchaser, where they are required (but not funded) by any of the four UK administrations.
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