Adult Social Care Omicron Support Fund
Provides information on the Adult Social Care Omicron Support Fund, including distribution of funds, reporting requirements and guidance on how this funding can be used by local authorities.
Applies to England
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This guidance applies to the Omicron Support Fund, which was paid to local authorities in January 2022. While local authorities are not required to report on this grant beyond 31 March 2022, this guidance is preserved here for reference.
In recognition of the increased pressure on existing funding sources caused by the Omicron variant, the government announced on 29 December 2021 that it is providing £60 million additional funding for January 2022.
The Adult Social Care Omicron Support Fund is a new grant that is separate and in addition to the existing:
- Infection Control and Testing Fund (round 3)
- Workforce Recruitment and Retention Fund
- Workforce Recruitment and Retention Fund (round 2)
The purpose of this fund is to support the adult social care sector with measures already covered by the infection prevention and control (IPC) allocation of the Infection Control and Testing Fund (round 3) to reduce the rate of COVID-19 transmission within and between care settings.
Additionally, this funding may also be used to increase ventilation in care homes, and to enhance local authorities’ current direct payment offer particularly when the only way a person’s care needs can be met is by a friend or family member, or to enhance support for carers.
It may also be used to pay for temporary staffing to cover increased staff absence caused by COVID-19 and maintain staffing levels and workforce capacity.
Updates to this page
Published 10 January 2022Last updated 1 March 2022 + show all updates
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Amended the guidance to reflect the updated reporting requirements.
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First published.