Words on the UK’s social care system
We were not terribly surprised to read a BBC article last month about the beginning of the UK’s social care collapse. According to the article ‘more than 900 adult social care workers a day quit their job in England last year’. This is a not only a problem because our population is ageing which means a demand for care services will increase, but also because it’s difficult to maintain a consistent level of care if recruitment has such a high turnover.
One of the main reasons for a shortage in care staff seems to be low pay. In the article, one care worker stated ‘It’s upsetting and disheartening when you find out that people earn more than you do in a supermarket just for stacking shelves.’
According to data analysed by the charity Skills for Care, the ‘average full-time frontline care worker earned £7.69 an hour’. But here at The Private Care Company, we’re proud of the great rates we pay our carers, which equates to £9.74 per hour plus a £5 daily petrol expense for drivers and up to £800 per week for live in carers. We also offer our staff flexible and friendly working conditions. And all of these things mean our retention rates are above average.
We value our amazing employees and understand that the care with which we treat them leads to better care for our clients – and achieving the highest possible quality of care for them is something we are constantly striving to do.