THE body which represents the city's private care providers has said the rates paid by the Council fall below their break-even point - and the system is unfair on Bradford's older, frail and disabled people.

The Bradford Care Association (BCA) got in touch with the Telegraph & Argus after it was revealed that almost two in five adults receiving Council-funded social care in the district are forking out their own money to top up their support.

The UK Homecare Association said councils may be rationing the care they will fund in order to reduce costs.

BCA’s chairman Konrad Czajka, who is also the managing director of Saltaire based Czajka Care Group, said: “We’re currently involved in a cost of care exercise with both Bradford Council and the Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) because the reality is that the rates being paid, fall well below the break-even point for care providers.

“As a result, private service users, who are means-tested and have savings of more than £23,500, must pay fees to cross subsidise both Bradford Council and continuing healthcare funding.

"This isn’t fair on Bradford’s older, frail and disabled people and it’s horrifying for them to see their savings swallowed up.

“However, without top-ups, private homes simply wouldn’t survive. Staff recruitment and retention are both key challenges for BCA members and we’re losing staff to the public sector and the NHS, because we’re no longer on a level playing field with them."

He added:“Bradford Council, the CCGs, and ultimately the Government, have to realise that paying reasonable fee levels will enable private care providers to improve wages and be sustainable in the long-term.

"Crucially, it also means that Bradford’s residents, who have worked hard all their lives, paid tax, fought in wars, and built a nest-egg, can live without the fear of losing their savings.

"Ultimately, these people deserve better.”

A spokesperson from the NHS Bradford district and Craven CCGs said: “We absolutely recognise the challenges faced by the care sector particularly with regards to workforce. We are working with Bradford Council on a cost of care exercise to look at how we best use our collective resources to support the sector appropriately."

A Bradford Council spokesperson said the authority has worked closely with the BCA and it "acknowledge the challenges around quality and sustainability of care in the district".

They added:“We have made a financial commitment with the BCA this year to appoint a CEO and funded quality improvement work for the sector. Bradford is now seeing a significant improvement in CQC outcomes."

They added: “We appreciate the work done by all teams who have contributed to these improvements and are committed to continue working together to support a quality and sustainable care market for the people of Bradford.

"We are currently working with the providers to undertake a fair cost of care exercise and once the outcome of this is available we will be in a position to work on a longer term plan.

"It is also true that some of our good and outstanding providers actually accept local authority rates without top ups”