Skilled social care workers lose morale as shelf-stackers are better paid, says think tank

STACKING shelves in a supermarket is better paid than being a carer, staff have complained in a report laying bare the challenges facing the sector.

Poor pay in the social care sector is commonly cited as the “worst thing about the job”, researchers at the Resolution Foundation said, as the think tank warned that the pay gap between social care and more low-skilled roles was being eroded. Social care workers enjoyed a 5pc pay premium in 2011 relative to other low-paid jobs, reflecting the higher responsibilities. However, it had slumped to 1pc by 2021.

One carer in a focus group run by the foundation said that they could “basically get paid more at Lidl or Aldi”. The average carer made £10.90 an hour in April last year, the Resolution Foundation said. Lidl raised its hourly pay to £10.90 last October and Aldi began paying its staff £11 an hour from the start of this year

The foundation called for a wage floor for care work, with the lowest pay set at £2 above the adult minimum wage. It also recommended paying people for the time spent travelling between patients.

“Addressing these problems isn’t cost-free, but it is urgent given the chronic shortage of care workers,” said Nye Cominetti, a senior economist at the Resolution Foundation.

“Improving working conditions in the care sector is the only route to making it more attractive for new recruits and giving our ageing society the level of care it deserves.”

Staffing shortages in the social care sector are creating bottlenecks in the NHS, with healthcare bosses warning that patients are taking up beds because there are not enough carers to look after them outside of hospitals.

The Resolution Foundation said staff in residential homes said shortages were also frequently leading to safety breaches, with tasks requiring two people often being carried out only by one worker.

Mr Cominetti said: “Social care workers fulfil a skilled and hugely necessary role in our society, and make a real difference to people’s lives. But the danger is this sense of vocation and commitment comes with a high price.”