The ‘national living wage’ means we have to do more with less

[The national living wage means] we are now expected to do more work in less time; as the length of our unpaid breaks were increased when it came in. Services are stretched and it always feels like you can’t do as much for the residents as you would like. It seems clear that to allow social care to be in the private sector is a mistake. We had a millionaire owner with a private helicopter making profits from the palliative care of people with dementia. Funding from either the council or the residents own savings are lining the pockets of millionaires who own the businesses. It shouldn’t be about profit: 100% of funding should be going to the care; staffing, equipment, activities and food. An anonymous care worker in the north of England

What's it like to be a care worker in the UK? Share your stories Read more

Zero-hour contracts in this sector are disgusting

I have been a care support worker in the community for six months now on a zero-hours contract. I love my job, adore my clients, and give them the care I would give my parents. However, I am limited with the time I am given to each call, as I can do as much as 16 visits in a day. In the summer I worked 12 days in a row, which were all 12-hour days. The office did not care that I had worked this much, even though I could have been at risk of injuring clients. This industry is shocking. We can work all day, every day, and even on time off we are called in to work. We are expected to raise issues of safeguarding, problems, and constantly fill out forms, but all unpaid and in our own time. Zero-hour contracts are disgusting. There is no job security from one week to the next so you work as much as you can. We are expected to wake a client, shower and provide a breakfast within 30mins. If it takes longer, which it always does, we are not paid.



Care supports needs to be unified with one standard of care, one training standard, and the CQC [Care Quality Commission] performing regular checks. The sector also needs to get rid of zero-hour contracts. People don’t stay in this job for the money – I’d get more working in a bar or a cafe, but I stay because I respect and like my clients. An anonymous field care support worker

Despite working full-time I cannot meet my basic bills

I work on a zero hours contract for the NHS. Despite working full-time I cannot meet my basic bills – council tax, heating, transport and food (which comes last). I don’t eat a healthy diet, surviving on the very cheapest meals: bread, eggs and beans. I never have money left over for even the smallest luxuries, like a nice pineapple or piece of fruit, let alone socialising. I have lost my home as I could not keep up council tax payments, and I am currently looking for somewhere to rent. I am not eligible for help as I have no children. I am fortunate that my wage is above the national living wage, though utilities and food have risen, making it impossible to break even. Wages have fallen way behind living costs, making it impossible for people to keep a home. Care workers are currently not respected. Low pay and poor working conditions result in high staff turnover. I love my job but sadly I may have to consider leaving just to make ends meet. An anonymous care worker in Glasgow

Underfunded and overstretched – the crisis in care for the elderly Read more

We are regularly assigned too many hours to be safe

Pay is docked, or incorrect, and often not corrected until months later. When the rota comes out, we are expected to drive into the office on our days off with no travel paid. We are regularly assigned too many hours to be safe for service users. The employment conditions are harsh and make you feel undervalued, de-skilled and affects motivation. It’s a demanding job where some clients will treat you like a servant. It’s also very rewarding and worthwhile, but I don’t think many people will last for more than eight to 10 years. After that the way we are treated begins to cloud how you perform. The minimum wage has had some effect, but the wages are still too low to provide a decent standard of living. It is a struggle at the end of each month. Frontline management need a better understanding of the issues workers face. And there needs to be more societal understanding of the value of care work. An anonymous support worker in Scotland

Care work has become dependent on untrained staff

I have been a professional care worker for over 10 years. I came to it expecting to build a career. Since joining I have observed a terrible decline in the value of my job and the service which I used to provide. I am expected to provide my own vehicle, in over 10 years the fuel allowance has not been increased. The work has become very stressful, with severe budget restrictions demanding severely limited time for each patient. Many patients live in isolated country locations making night visits difficult and worrying. Quite often I find myself providing extra services such as a bit of shopping for service users in my own time. As a care worker of 10 years I am entitled to certain sickness benefits. These included full pay for six months followed by six months on half pay. In my ten years of service I have seldom been off sick. In order to remove the sickness benefits the council re-constituted the care service under another name and attempted to abolish those benefits. I fought back and have managed to retain my benefits. But in my view the last vestiges of care work as a career have been stripped away. The work has become dependent on untrained workers taking up the job before finding something better. Few people will now see care work as a career. An anonymous care worker in Cornwall



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