"I have been in care for many years and I have never felt so undervalued, unappreciated and worthless..."
Earlier in the coronavirus crisis, eight out of ten care workers who responded to a UNISON North West survey stated that they believed they would not be paid their normal wages if they had to self-isolate due to COVID-19.
With ONS (Office for National Statistics) figures showing that care workers are twice as likely to die of COVID-19 than other front-line healthcare workers, questions were raised about whether care workers who did not receive sick pay were putting themselves and vulnerable residents at increased risk by attending work whilst unwell.
The response was the 'Salford Offer', negotiated by Salford City UNISON, which aimed to protect local care workers and the people they care for by providing financial support to care providers in exchange for guarantees that they would make commitments designed to stop the spread of coronavirus in Salford. Most crucially, the Salford Offer guarantees full pay to care workers who have to self-isolate due to COVID-19.
But it has now emerged that numerous care companies are refusing to implement the Salford Offer, even though any additional costs are being funded by the NHS and Salford Council. Some of the care companies not implementing the offer include large providers like HC-One, Creative Support and Anchor Hanover.
A Creative Support care worker who does not want to be named says: "I was off for two weeks and was only paid Statutory Sick Pay (SSP). We're in the middle of a global pandemic. They should forget about how many days you've had off and focus on what's important; staff and service users not dying.
"We're on minimum wage and for what we have to do, it isn't worth it but we do it because we care about the people we look after" they add "I know it sounds like an exaggeration but we do risk our lives every day at the moment and get zero thanks or appreciation for it. They can't even apply for funding so we can have time off if we're displaying COVID symptoms and I find it absolutely shocking and disgusting. I personally knew one staff member and one service user who died due to coronavirus.''
An HC-One care worker explains: "I had to take a week off because I was showing symptoms of the virus. Instead of giving me full pay, HC-One said I could choose between SSP and annual leave.
"I can't afford to lose a week's pay, I have too many bills" they add "If I only have £94 for the week, it would be very hard for me. Instead I had to sacrifice my annual leave and miss out on precious holidays with my little girl, because I was ill. It's unfair but I had no choice.''
A Laburnum Court care worker underlines the sentiments... "I was tested positive for COVID-19. I knew about the Salford Offer at the time and was told, 'We don't do that here'... I have been in care for many years and I have never felt so undervalued, unappreciated and worthless."
Another HC-One care worker says: "I have been off work due to the effect COVID-19 has had on my mental health. I have lost a lot of people that I had built a close bond with, which was really hard and I have been struggling to cope with the loss of them.
"I am feeling like I have had no support from my workplace as I have been on SSP of £95 a week and have been forced to use two weeks of annual leave" they add "I feel like my workplace hasn't supported me - they have made me feel worthless."
Salford City UNISON branch secretary Steve North recalls: "Care workers throughout our city were delighted when their determined campaigning resulted in the comprehensive package of support being introduced as 'The Salford Offer'. No more would they have to choose between health and hardship, between protecting their service users and providing for their families.
"And yet despite the fact that it would cost them nothing to protect their own employees, many of the largest care providers in Salford have simply refused to implement the offer" he explains "This is not just an insult to the care workers who have put their own lives at risk during this pandemic; it also puts every resident of Salford at risk by potentially increasing the rate of coronavirus transmission in our city.
"This is an example of a local authority and the NHS trying to do all they can to protect care workers and service users and yet the biggest obstacle to this is the care companies themselves" he adds "If care companies refuse to adhere to the standards set by those who pay for them, I would strongly recommend that our political representatives bring our care services back in-house, for the benefit of local people rather than care company directors."
In Greater Manchester, eight out of ten councils have signed up to UNISON's Care Workers vs COVID-19 pledge, which guarantees sick pay for local care workers but Bolton and Bury Councils have come under fire for refusing to commit to protecting their care workers and local service users...Meanwhile, this latest episode shows that even when councils do sign up the privatised care homes don't always abide by agreements. Time to nationalise care homes?
Update: 25th July:
An Anchor Hanover spokesperson has been in touch and states: “In March, Anchor Hanover took the decision to pay our colleagues an enhanced level of sick pay – considerably above the Statutory Sick Pay rate. This was introduced in response to unprecedented circumstances. This enhanced rate supported colleagues when they were required to self-isolate under the Public Health England guidance if they were to display symptoms of Coronavirus/COVID-19. We also launched a hardship scheme providing interest-free loans of up to £1,000 for colleagues. We’re pleased we were able to introduce this to help reduce the financial concerns Anchor Hanover colleagues could have, should they contract or have symptoms of the virus and are unable to work.”
For a full background on the Salford Offer see previous Salford Star article - click here
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