Unfair to Care
Social care workers are paid 41% less than their NHS equivalents, contributing to an unprecedented rise in vacancy rates. This is the verdict of a new report called Unfair to Care, commissioned by the charity Community Integrated Care, which demonstrates that social care workers earn more than £8,000 less than their NHS counterparts. Social care vacancies rose by an unprecedented 52% in 2022, the report finds, and there are now 165,000 vacancies on any given day in social care. Care providers are having to plunder their cash reserves to pay their workers more in a bid to stop them leaving for better paid work, the report suggests. “This current system serves no one. It is entirely wrong that this sector has 165,000 vacancies on any given day, significantly impacting the quality of life of people who should, rightly, expect reliable support built upon consistent relationships,” said Community Integrated Care’s chief people officer Teresa Exelby. For the report, go to www.unfairtocare.co.uk