According to research into a staffing crisis that has left thousands of vulnerable people suffering inadequate care half of care workers employed in independent care homes would earn more if they took a new starter job in a supermarket. In June nearly 400,000 care staff earned less than the minimum wages paid in most of the major supermarket chains, while a third of workers would have received an immediate 6.3% pay increase, plus staff benefits, by moving to the best-paying supermarkets. For social care, the minimum rate for staff over the age of 23 in June 2022 was £9.50 – the statutory minimum set by the “national living wage”. It has been estimated that about 50% of care workers earn within 30 pence of the national living wage level. In June 2022 nine of the 10 largest supermarkets were paying more than this. In 2012-13 retail assistants were on average paid 16p an hour less than care workers. But by 2020-21 they were being paid 21p an hour more.
There are about 165,000 vacancies in England’s social care. Inspectors found staff shortages were a key reason for inadequate care at dozens of homes, including people being left in their rooms 24 hours a day, denied showers and left wet in their own urine. Pay is a key reason for the social care workforce crisis.
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