CARE providers across the town have cut ties with the council after complaining that the service is not financially sustainable, it has been revealed.

Five care homes have cancelled their contracts with Reading Borough Council (RBC) over the last 18 months after struggling to recruit qualified staff on a long term basis.

The UK Government claims to spend £9.25bn per year on adult social care, yet 95 out 197 local authorities admitted to losing care firms due to a lack of funding and the strain of an ageing population.

A spokesman for RBC said: "Care providers have told us they are struggling to recruit and retain staff. They are in competition with many other companies who can pay a higher rate per hour and offer additional advantages to workers.

“Five providers have cancelled contracts with us in the last 18 months. This was not because the council is not paying a high enough hourly rate, but because the amount of work coming through wasn’t financially sustainable for them, or they couldn’t recruit.

“To help these local care providers, the council has looked at ways of addressing this issue, for example, work we have done to ensure a sustainable hourly rate, by signing up to the Unison Ethical Care Charter and by launching a Home Care Framework.

“The Council requires providers to be compliant with the Ethical Care Charter, to pay staff for travel time and to pay staff at least the national living wage. Our average rate is £16.88 an hour, which is well above the national average.”

RBC have struggled to entice adequate numbers of properly trained staff due to external competition and higher salaries offered elsewhere.

In an effort to attract staff, the council launched the Home Care Framework in 2015 to give a living wage to properly trained staff, with allowances for travel time.