Letter to the Prime Minister: call for national care worker minimum wage of £10.50 per hour

Our members tell us they are increasingly concerned that their colleagues in social care are not able to meet the level of need they face because of the long-term financial constraints imposed by a lack of a government strategy for social care and its workforce.

This has direct impact on our members - in May 2022, half of those patients discharged from hospital were classed as delayed discharges. 

In the context of the cost-of-living crisis and a strong job market, there is a real risk that more social care workers will move to other sectors like retail, hospitality and distribution and that those thinking about jobs in social care go to better paying sectors. 

Our chief executive Matthew Taylor and Chair Lord Victor Adebowale call on the Prime Minister to implement a new settlement for the social care workforce with a national care minimum wage and a clear incentive to progress to the senior care worker role.  This should be fully funded and distributed through local authorities, which will be able to ensure the funding reaches the front line, does not impact self-funders’ cost of care, and relieves capacity challenges.