Home care workers get 17% pay rise from Manchester Living Wage

Home care workers in Manchester are to receive a £1 an hour pay boost from 1 April to ensure they get ‘a proper living wage’.

Domiciliary care workers will see their pay increase from £7.50 - the National Living Wage (NLW) to what has been dubbed the ‘Manchester Living Wage’ of £8.75 - equating to a rise of nearly 17 per cent for the city's lowest paid people.

Manchester City Council said the home workers’ pay rise is the result of a £1.5m cash boost it is giving to commissioned organisations which supply care staff ‘on the condition that the money means employees will receive a proper living wage’.

In his Spring Statement, the Chancellor confirmed a rise in the National Living Wage to £7.83 from 1 April.

Manchester pays home care businesses an average of £13.50 per hour to assist people needing support in their homes. From 1 April, this payment rises to £15.20 per hour with the expectation the rise will benefit care workers from this date.

Council: pay rise ‘the right thing to do’

Councillor Bev Craig, executive member for adult services, health and wellbeing at Manchester City Council, said: “This money is a way of recognising the hard work of those workers who give the sort of daily care that’s not only practical, but is a lifeline in providing the dignity that we all need.

“We all know that some things like dignity and wellbeing can’t have a price put on them. But, in reality, when you consider how this sector keeps people living longer and better at home, you can see not only the moral, but economic reasons too.

“Quite simply, this is the right thing to do and by investing in our people and services we will also help with tackling shameful in-work poverty in Manchester.”

Home carer: It ‘means we are being appreciated'

Lisa Walden, aged 48, has been a home care worker for 11 years and is employed by Synergy Homecare.

“To me this pay increase means that our work has been acknowledged", she said.

"The extra money per week will probably pay for half my petrol, which will help me to save for things at home like a family holiday. More than anything it means we are being appreciated for our work.

"But, saying that, I have a group of nine close friends, who all earn more than me and we all have very different jobs. I easily have the least pay – but I’m the one who loves her work.”

Ms Waldon says: “It’s honestly the best job I’ve ever had. It feels like a continuation of looking after my own family. That doesn’t mean it’s easy: some days I could do 11 or 12 visits in a day – and I know other people who do up to 20 visits.

“But, the thing that makes it all worth it – and still makes me buzz – is seeing my clients’ faces when I walk in. It just puts a smile on their faces, because for some of them, I will be the only person they see all day.

“With older clients I want to be able to work with them until they pass away because I want them to have the reassurance of seeing the same person.

“People say you shouldn’t get involved – but I think you shouldn’t be in a role like this if you don’t care about people."

Manchester City Council said the cash boost is part of its future plans with NHS partners for how services are commissioned, to recognise 'the invaluable role that the city’s home care staff provide, and to keep and attract more people to the role'.

Home care boss: will 'help to recruit staff'

Ms Walden's boss Rizwan Muhammad, Chadderton and Manchester branch manager for Synergy Homecare, which offers home care across the country, said: “This pay rise will give care staff a morale boost and make them feel more appreciated.

"Saying thank you to care staff is good - but there's no doubt the extra money is needed. We pay our home care staff £8 per hour - so the extra 75p an hour all adds up and helps with living costs.

“For us as employers, it will help to recruit staff into the care sector - especially as sometimes we have to compete with similar salaries in supermarkets. If people in Manchester know you can get improved pay in the care sector with career progression it will encourage far more people to consider it."

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