£2.5m for Wakefield care homes 'not enough', as government accused of 'letting vulnerable people down'

A total of 95 residential homes across the district will be given the cash in installments this month and in July to help buy PPE and protect staff wages.

Local companies which offer care to people in their own homes will be given just short of £1m.

But the sector has accused the government of "letting vulnerable people down", saying the money is insufficient to cover their costs.

The National Care Association (NCA), which represents providers, said many smaller firms in the industry could go bust.

Chief executive Nadra Ahmed said: "We call on national government to wake up and smell the coffee.

"Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are the heart of communities across the country providing care and support to vulnerable citizens.

"Our role has always been to support local NHS services and local authorities to provide solutions for those who need care and support - it is time for government at all levels to support us.

"We are ready and willing to find and create solutions to ensure our social care services are the best in the world.

"What we need now is for politicians to understand the importance of all that we do”.

A survey carried out by the NCA said that 64 per cent of providers across the UK were worried their service might not survive in the long-term.

It follows warnings a year before the pandemic from Wakefield Council that big care firms companies are deserting the north.

The authority's director for adults and health, Andrew Balchin, said that firms were focusing business on supposedly "more lucrative" parts of the south of England.

The cash for care homes in Wakefield was part of a £600m "infection control fund" announced by Boris Johnson last month.

Then, the Prime Minister said that the money would help combat the virus in residential venues, as he said the number of COVID-related deaths in homes was "well down".

Local Democracy Reporting Service