‘Forgotten frontline’ workers need fair wage

The Future Social Care Coalition has argued that an immediate £3.9 billion emergency support fund is needed from the government to get the care sector through the pandemic’s second wave.

The new cross-party alliance of more than 80 organisations and individuals has urged the government for a major funding package and a fair wage deal for low​-paid staff. The funding would also guarantee a significant wage boost to all social care employees in England ​says the coalition, whose members include the National Care Association, the Care and Support Alliance – which includes Age UK, Carers UK, and Alzheimer’s Society – and UNISON.

Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham, former coalition health minister Norman Lamb, and former Conservative MP Alistair Burt​ are among several former ministers who have joined the new group, which represents an unprecedented collaboration between organisations and individuals.

Writing to the Chancellor, the group argues that the coronavirus pandemic has magnified problems that have existed in the sector for years and emphasises the urgent need for government intervention, making it clear this issue must no longer be ignored. It adds that workers on the ‘forgotten frontline’ are existing on poverty wages and zero-hours contracts, and job vacancies are causing ​huge problems for employers.

The letter urges Rishi Sunak to ​find the resources to bring about change in social care, which would allow the sector to begin to treated with the same respect as the NHS, and develop a comprehensive workforce strategy with ​better training and ​rates of pay.

Christina McAnea, Coalition advisory board co-chair and UNISON assistant general secretary, said: “Care has long been the forgotten service. The pandemic has shone a spotlight on the sector’s faults like nothing else. Its problems cannot be ignored for a moment longer. This unprecedented alliance brings together employers, politicians and the biggest care union to make a powerful case for change. Now the government needs to listen and start to take the care crisis more seriously. Care needs urgent and lasting reform. Paying dedicated staff who look after our elderly and vulnerable relatives a proper wage would start to transform care into a service fit for the future.”