In the early hours of Wednesday, the government announced that the minimum wage for care workers who slept over would be suspended, effectively ignoring a tribunal decision that me and my colleagues should receive £60 a night, instead of the £35 flat rate per sleep-in we currently get. The announcement said that the change was “intended to minimise disruption to the sector”. But what about every hard-working carer?
I work every public holiday including Christmas, Easter and New Year. When you count the sleep-in hours, I work a minimum of a 54-hour week, yet I earn less than the minimum wage if you average it out. How can this be right? Here’s an average day for me:
15:00: My day begins. There are diaries to read and a handover, all before I plough through the cash boxes for counting. Before cooking tea, I put on four loads of washing and then there’s housework, with medication given at the appropriate times.
The people I support need my full attention, their every move documented. I have no rest breaks and can only grab a few minutes here and there during quiet periods.
Baths and showers have to be done before bed. Emails have to be dealt with, support and care plans updated, medication booked. Policies have to be updated constantly.
23:00: It’s supposed to be our sleep time. Desperately exhausted and very often working alone, all we want to do is rest.
But we’re away from home, away from our families, and in strange surroundings. The uncomfortable bed isn’t ours – sleeping is impossible. One client with mobility issues gets up for the toilet between six and eight times during the night. The sleep bed is right next door to the lavatory. We wake up each time and ensure they get back to their room.
One extremely vulnerable client tries to get out of the house, so we lie awake listening for their every move.
07:00: I’m on shift again, giving medicines, counting cash tins, making breakfasts, doing day service runs, assisting with personal care and household chores. I’m exhausted.
I love my job, but I love my family. I’m always torn between the two, going days without seeing them. I have a teenage autistic son at home who hates being there alone. But with bills to pay to keep a roof over our head I have no choice. Yet here we are during the hours of 23:00 and 07:00 not even getting paid the national minimum wage – and not getting much rest, either.
To earn a decent salary that includes the national minimum wage for sleep-ins would really benefit my family and me. I may be able to afford a well-deserved holiday. I might be able to buy something nice for my son, who I feel I abandon half the time for work. The guilt at leaving him home alone is horrendous. He’s old enough to look after himself, but the guilt is still there, knowing how much he hates to be alone at night.
Sleep-ins aren’t currently counted towards our working hours. Yet we cannot simply leave or pop out for a break: we’re here for the duration of our shift. We work three weekends out of four and between five and six days per week. Shifts vary, with some lasting 24 hours and others split.
Support workers play a vital role in the care sector. They provide round-the-clock care for loved ones who are unable to stay at home, yet we are some of the lowest paid in the workforce. My overtime hours alone since I started with the company amount to over 1,300 – and I’m up to nearly a year’s sleep-ins.
The government’s decision is a disgrace. It truly shows how little support workers are valued and appreciated despite our dedication and personal sacrifices.