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The Carer Digital
THECARERUK
THECARERUK
Issue 29
Bring Our Care Workers In From The Cold Says Report
Age UK the charity representing older people says that it is “time for the government to bring care workers in from the cold� and has called for care sector workers to have wage parity with the NHS. In a major new report, the charity revealed that despite providing a vital, life enhancing service, care workers earned 24p an hour less than shop assistants. The report reveals how tough life has been for care workers during the pandemic. And highlights the extent to which care workers have often had to put their own health and financial worries at the bottom of the pile while battling to keep the virus at bay and their clients safe and well. Those on the front line of this crisis have rightly been lauded as heroes, but for our care workers these have too often been merely warm words. The Charity is calling on the Government to do more to recognise their enormous contribution by improving their salaries so they are the same as those for people doing the equivalent job in the NHS, and by supporting their physical and mental wellbeing. Today, care workers are still labouring on the frontline, working long hours to
help older and disabled people, while being extremely tired and, in some cases, still coming to terms with the suffering and loss they witnessed and tried valiantly to prevent earlier in the pandemic. Despite being roughly equivalent in size to the NHS workforce, the 1.65 million strong care workforce has seen only relatively limited support put in place. While the NHS has been prioritised for PPE, testing, mental health support, priority access to shops and pay rises, offers to social care have been more limited and have generally only arrived late in the day. On top of this, many care workers are left struggling to make ends meet, with the average salary for a care worker being only around ÂŁ15,000 about half the UK average. This means care workers are paid 24p less an hour than shop assistants, despite the vital nature of their role and the skill required to help people with complex needs. Meanwhile, their counterparts in the NHS have been awarded a real-terms pay increase up until 2020/2021.
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