Christmas bonuses of £1,000 demanded to stop care workers quitting

Care leaders have said care workers should receive Christmas bonuses to stop them leaving to join retailers like Tesco this winter.

The Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) is urging the government to fund a £1,000 per care worker bonus in England this winter to ‘help stem the loss of skilled and experienced staff to other types of work’.

ADASS, which is a charity whose members include current and ex-directors of adult social care, is demanding the emergency bonuses, after getting reports from directors across England that care services are ‘struggling or breaking down because of staff shortages’.

Care workers in Scotland and Northern Ireland have received a £500 bonus and those in Wales were given two bonuses (one of £500 in May 2020 and a second of £735 in May 2021), as a thank you for their efforts during the Covid-19 pandemic. However, care staff in England were denied bonuses.

Stephen Chandler, ADASS president, said: “We are facing a perfect storm with staff quitting, family carers under immense strain, the NHS struggling, care providers going out of business and people being left without care and support.

"Courageous and compassionate people working in social care are quitting faster than they can be recruited and people who need support to live decent lives are waiting longer for help and getting less of it.

“Paying a £1,000 bonus to care workers over the winter would show that we prize their skills and dedication as a society. It would send a strong signal to people that care work is a career that is respected and is going to be properly rewarded in future.”

Over 100,000 vacancies in care sector

There are about 1.5 million jobs in social care in England, but at least 105,000 of them are currently vacant. Many fear care homes will be forced to shut because of staff shortages.

Stephen Chandler added: “In the longer term ADASS wants to see a minimum social care wage that is above the national living wage, has parity with NHS pay and clear progression and development. But we need recognition over the coming months of the brilliant job that care workers do if we are to keep them and get through what is going to be a very difficult winter.”

“Without action now, the pressures on the NHS and family carers will grow and there is a real risk of people suffering indignity and harm and dying alone.”

Many NHS trusts say they cannot tackle record waiting times for treatment because hospitals are full to overflowing.

Chris Hopson, chief executive at NHS Providers, has warned a minimum £500 bonus, is the emergency action the government needs to take "because our system has to stop the current flow of people leaving social care and going into other industries like retail.”

Christmas bonus ‘quick fix’ won't work says union

A petition was launched to pay every social care and NHS worker in England a £500 'thank you' bonus and received over 16,000 signatures. But it was rejected by the government.

In April 2021, the Department of Health and Social Care responded to the petition stating: ‘We are immensely grateful to our health and social care workforce. We are not, currently, planning to pay £500 bonuses but are exploring ways to improve recognition of health and social care staff.’

However, GMB, the trade union representing care workers is arguing a one-off Christmas bonus won’t stop care workers exiting the sector.

Rachel Harrison, GMB National Officer, said: "It's right care workers' immense efforts during the pandemic are rewarded - and that something is done to stop the looming staffing catastrophe.

"But a one-off Christmas bonus isn't the answer - it's a quick fix and it won't work in the long term.

"Care workers are highly skilled professionals, should be treated and paid as such. They deserve at least the average salary in the UK - £15 an hour, no less."