A union has called for “undervalued and underpaid” care staff to be protected as council bosses slash payments for ‘sleep-in’ shifts by almost a third.
Newcastle City Council is planning a major cut to the amount of money it gives to social care providers in the city to cover the cost of providing overnight care at the homes of people with learning disabilities and autism. The payments are set to be slashed by 31%, down from £113.09 to £77.87 per night, and there are fears that care providers will be forced to reduce their employees' pay as a result.
The move follows a Supreme Court judgment last year which ruled that sleep-in social care workers are only entitled to be paid the national minimum wage when they are awake for the purposes of working. One care sector worker, who asked to remain anonymous, told ChronicleLive that the council’s decision was a “kick in the teeth” and would be damaging for a sector that is struggling to retain staff.
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Trade union UNISON said it was in talks with the council about the proposals and that staff working sleep-in shifts “should receive at least the minimum wage for every hour worked”. UNISON regional organiser Ronagh Craddock added: “Social care staff are some of the lowest paid workers but carry out some of the most important jobs.
“We are in discussions with Newcastle City Council and will be working with the council to ensure that terms and conditions for these workers are protected.
“This situation reinforces the need for our campaign for a national care service to transform the country’s broken social care system. Skilled social care staff are undervalued and underpaid, and vacancy rates are high. A well-funded service that mirrors the NHS would ensure workers are paid fairly, help fill job vacancies, and ensure those who depend on care receive quality support.”
A council spokesperson said: “We recently went out to our care providers with a new framework for caring for people with learning disabilities and autism. We currently pay providers £113.09 per night to cover the cost of their social care workers who sleep in the persons’ home and provide overnight care if it is required.
“As part of the new framework we have published a revised figure of £77.87 per night. However we are still receiving feedback and have extended the deadline for tender submissions by six weeks. This will enable us to consider the issues and explore options.
“We asked providers for information on the sleep-in payments they make to their staff. We will work through that information and respond to all providers via the tender portal once a final rate is set.”
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