Better pay for care workers: up-front costs but long-term gains There is growing realisation that the race to the bottom in working conditions is becoming a barrier to quality in social care. Low pay, at times below the minimum wage, and unenviable terms are unlikely to deliver the sustainable long-term care system that our ageing society requires. While many accept this, so far we have lacked a realistic idea of the investment needed to give care workers a better deal, and the wider benefits such investment would bring. The inadequacy of conditions on the care frontline is widely recognised. Flagged by the Low Pay Commission as a sector of concern, the pay of a typical direct care worker hovers not far above the national minimum wage. An estimated one in 10 are effectively paid below this statutory minimum due to the widespread practice of only paying contact time which doesn’t always adequately cover time spent travelling between clients. Alongside low and sometimes illegal pay levels, one-third of social care workers are employed on zero-hours contracts. And training is infrequent and basic, lacking a focus on common job requirements such as caring for those with dementia. theguardian/social-care-network/2015/jan/20/care-workers-better-pay-conditions
Posted on: Tue, 20 Jan 2015 11:02:14 +0000
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