17 September 2023 , 23:01
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Social care campaigners calling for fair pay to tackle the sector’s chronic staffing crisis take their fight to Downing Street tomorrow.
Protesters will march on No10 and deliver a petition signed by more than 76,000 people urging the Government to pay carers the same as NHS staff. Tens of thousands of carers receive the legal minimum wage of £10.42 if they are aged 23 and over; £10.18 for those aged 21 and 22; or £7.49 for 18-20 year olds.
Placing them on the NHS’s Band 3 would lift their hourly rate to £11.11 per hour - the same as health service clinical support workers, therapy assistants, pharmacy assistants, administrative workers and clerical staff. The petition - triggered by not-for-profit care provider Dimensions - says the move would “allow care and support workers to earn a wage aligned with their skills and responsibilities, and encourage a much-needed pool of talented, dedicated workers into these vital careers”.
Experts believe hiking wages will help fill the care sector’s 152,000 estimated vacancies, which analysts warn are crippling services and having a knock-on effect on the NHS. Relief support worker Susan Adewale, 35, said: “Social care workers should be paid in line with the NHS Pay Band 3. Not only do our tireless efforts and unwavering commitment warrant pay parity, but it would elevate the status of social care, allowing us to support the NHS more effectively and ensuring that the remarkable work we do continues to flourish.”
The protesters will be led by Conservative former de-facto Deputy Prime Minister Damian Green and Labour MP Liz Twist, who co-chair the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Adult Social Care. Mr Green said: “The social care crisis has been escalating for decades and becomes ever more urgent to address by the day. Dimensions’ petition calls for an essential change that I believe will go a long way towards preventing skilled social care workers from leaving the workforce for better-paid roles elsewhere. We cannot fix the NHS without addressing the problem in social care first, and increasing pay to attract more staff is one key element of this.”
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Dimensions chief executive Rachael Dodgson said it was “incredibly encouraging to see the country unite behind our cause and recognise the vast importance of our social care workforce and the difference they make to the people they support”. She added: “Every day, thousands of social care and support workers undertake complex delegated nursing tasks and support people to make choices and gain control over their life. They maintain family relationships, help with friendships, support with employment and personal care. They are skilled, professional workers. While other sectors have seen pay rise after pay rise, social care has been left behind.
“If this continues for much longer, not only will the people who rely on our support be impacted but the NHS will also slow to a halt. Increasing social care pay isn’t just a case of rewarding hard work, but will support recruitment and retention efforts at a time when the sector is under immense pressure.”
The Mirror is campaigning for Fair Care for All.
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