Islington and Southwark councils become first to ban zero hour contracts for home care

The two local authorities in London have become the first to formally sign up to the Unison Ethical Care Charter, which sets out minimum standards for home care services.

The standards are designed to protect the dignity and quality of life for people who need home care.

The Charter commits councils to buying home care only from providers who give workers enough time, training and a living wage, so they can provide better quality care for thousands of people who rely on it.

The charter was a direct response to the ‘Time to Care’ report from Unison that revealed widespread fear from home care workers that short visit times and high staff turnover mean the care they are able to give falls far short of people’s needs for safety, dignity and an ongoing relationship with their care worker.

Unison general secretary, Dave Prentis, said: “Islington and Southwark are leading by example in adopting the Charter and tackling the problems with homecare contracts head on.

“Making this commitment to decent employment conditions for care workers is all about improving the quality of life for the people they care for. A living wage and more secure employment will help make it possible for dedicated care workers to stay in the job and focus on giving the best possible care.”

The ‘Time to Care’ report by Unison found nearly 80 per cent of home workers reported their work schedule was arranged in such a way that they either had to rush their work or leave a person early to get to their next visit on time. Fifty-eight per cent were not paid for their travelling time between visits, which resulted in many being paid below the national minimum wage.

Forty-one per cent of home care workers were not given specialist training to deal with their clients’ specific medical needs, such as dementia and stroke related conditions.

Ethical Care Councils

Councils that sign up to the charter and become Ethical Care Councils, pledge to only commission care from providers that match the time allocated to visits to the particular needs of the person. This means that 15-minute visits are hardly used as they undermine the dignity of people, according to the charter. People in receipt of home care are given the same home care worker wherever possible.

Under the charter, home care workers are paid for their travel time, their travel costs and other necessary expenses such as mobile phone use. They are also given the time to talk to the people they are caring for.

The charter urges councils from the commissioning stage onwards to ensure employment conditions allow home care providers to give people the best care possible.

It also commits councils to not use zero hour contracts and to pay the Living Wage which is £8.80 an hour in London and £7.65 outside London.

Islington Council

Islington Council decided to sign the Charter, said Councillor Richard Watts, leader of Islington Council, because “no-one should do a hard day’s work for less than they can live on. Islington Council has signed this Charter to say we reject poverty wages for home carers and say yes to guaranteed employment, the London Living Wage and recognition for a job well done.”

Lorraine Ling, a home care worker and Unison member from Islington, said home care workers in the borough are “delighted that Islington has signed up to the Ethical Care Charter. It not only benefits our members but the service users too. But it's not just about signing up, it's about us as a union working in partnership with the council to make sure we really deliver.”

Southwark Council

Catherine McDonald, cabinet member for adult social care, health and equalities for Southwark Council, called it “utterly unfair that those who provide crucial home-caring services to our most vulnerable people are often forced on to zero hours contracts, meaning no guarantee of work or pay”.

She added: “We are tackling this by signing up to this Charter in full, and we have already brought in the London Living Wage.”

Fay Howell, branch manager of MiHomeCare in Southwark, is backing the charter because it “highlights the importance of working conditions in the care industry. It helps to ensure quality care for service users and career development for support workers. Sustainable pay rates will help recruitment and retention, leading to a more stable workforce”.

Sue Plain, Unison branch secretary at Southwark Council, praised home care workers in the borough for their successful campaign to persuade Southwark council to sign up to the union’s Ethical Care Charter.

She said: “Our homecare members have campaigned hard for this and will leave a legacy of better terms and conditions for those who follow them - and a better quality of homecare for all the residents of Southwark. They should be very proud of the achievement and well done to Southwark Council for listening and taking action.”