‘Changes to sleep-in care could devastate my Non’
THE father of a disabled woman has criticised the Government for putting at risk night-time care on which she depends.
Wyn Williams spoke out as learning disabilities charity Mencap launched a campaign to highlight demands of up to £45,000 from families who use what is called “sleep-in care”.
The threat to the night-time care follows rulings from two tribunals that residential care workers who routinely “sleep-in” as part of on-call shifts should be paid the national minimum wage for those hours rather than a lower flat rate, as most traditionally had been.
There is a huge bill totalling £400m owed to staff who have been underpaid and Mencap is calling on the Government to provide the funding itself.
Mr Williams, of Llanelli, said that his 30-year-old daughter Non is quadriplegic, has a learning disability, is registered partially sighted and needs sleep-in support.
Mr Williams: “At 30 years of age Non is very vibrant and sociable.
“But, she can only do all this because she’s safe and secure. It is extremely unsettling to know that this could be at risk.
“We know, the learning disability sector has a heavy cloud hanging over it – the Government recently changed its guidance around the payment that carers who provide ‘sleep-in’ care.
“This means the sector could face a £400m back pay bill, something which Mencap is warning will push the sector to the point of collapse.
“If this happens, and the Government doesn’t step in, Non would no longer have the 24-hour care she so completely relies on.”
Mencap’s chairman Derek Lewis said the underpayments were the fault of the Government because of its “incorrect guidance” and it should find the money.
He said: “Care providers who rely on Government funding to pay for the community-based care of adults with serious learning disabilities are being asked to find £400m from their own resources to fund back-payments.
“While ordinary families, who pay for their own care are facing personal liabilities of up to £50K.
“All because the original Government interpretation of how care workers should be paid under the National Minimum Wage, was wrong.”
He added: “At Mencap, we worry about the effect that this is having on our staff, families and the people we care for. Our care workers do a fantastic job and we want to pay them fairly.
“Since April we have been complying with new Government guidance and paying the National Living Wage but trying to fund six years back pay would cause us severe problems”.
Mr Williams said that for the first 25 years Non lived at home with her dad and his wife but she has since moved to a care home four years ago where she has “blossomed”.
He added: “It’s a mark of a civilised society how we treat the most vulnerable.
“It’s great that people should have the right pay for their work and people should recognise that sleep-in care is just as important as waking care.
“But it’s imperative that the Government steps up. We all know the difficulties of the current climate but the Government has to grasp how critical the consequences are for people like Non.”
The UK Government announced in July that it temporarily suspended wage enforcement for social care sleep-in shift pay, and is waiving historic financial penalties.
However Mencap said that substantial liabilities still remained.
A government spokesman said: “The government has worked closely with the sector in response to concerns over the combined impact which financial penalties and arrears of wages could have on the stability and long-term viability of providers.”
They added that the government has allocated an extra £2bn to the sector and they will continue to look at the issue “extremely carefully” alongside industry representatives.
The HMRC enforcement activity concerning the payment of sleep-in shifts will be suspended until October 2.