Shock report shows care home workers are more likely to live in poverty

The nation’s army of care workers are more than twice as likely to live in poverty than the average worker, it has been revealed.

A new report shows one in five care home workers and their families live in poverty, while one in ten have to go without food. Health Foundation analysis found 80% of UK jobs paid more than the average care worker wage of £12 an hour in 2024. It warns many care workers are on zero-hours contracts and exploitation of care workers is on the rise. One in ten children of care home workers have to go without essentials, like a warm winter coat.

Proper pay for workers was a key demand of the Mirror ’s Fair Care for All campaign, which also highlighted the collapse in access to social care over the last decade. Patricia Marquis, director of Royal College of Nursing in England, said: “It is unacceptable that those caring for some of the most vulnerable are forced to live in poverty, unable to pay for food and use welfare payments to top up their salaries.

"It is a sad state of affairs that such a vital workforce is so poorly valued and little wonder that there are so many vacancies. When care homes cannot recruit enough staff it leaves too many without access to the care they deserve.”

The Health Foundation analysed national data from 2021/22 to 2023/24 which also showed 15% of care home workers have to rely on Universal Credit to get by. Lucinda Allen, policy fellow at the Health Foundation, said: “Caring for older people and disabled people is vital and fulfilling work, but it has long been underpaid and undervalued.

"So many care workers and their families are struggling to keep up with bills, afford enough food, put savings aside, and provide warm clothing for their children.”

The Mirror has launched the Fair Care for All campaign calling for social care to be properly staffed and funded. Successive governments have ditched or delayed plans to reform funding for social care, leaving many going without vital care and worsening pay and conditions for carers.

The Health Foundation says the Government’s Employment Rights Bill has the potential to transform work in social care, helping to ensure people are cared for and lift workers out of poverty. Planned ‘Fair Pay Agreements’ for social care could set a new sector minimum wage but the recent Spending Review did not commit enough funding to substantially increase carers’ pay.

The Health Foundation estimates that raising the wage floor in social care to the level of clinical support workers and administrative workers in the NHS would result in an average 6.6% rise in household income. The independent health charity calculates this will cost an extra £2.3 billion by 2028/29.

Researcher Lucinda Allen added: “Around one in every 20 working people in England is employed in social care. Enhancing pay and working conditions in the care sector could be an important part of the government’s growth agenda, improve people’s lives and help fill the 131,000 social care vacancies. The government must deliver on its promise of fair pay for care workers, alongside wider improvements to our care system.”

After Labour won power last year it launched the Casey Review of adult social care to tackle the thorny issue of how the country should pay to care for its elderly. The first phase is expected to be complete by 2026 and will focus on changes that can be made over the medium term within existing resources. The second phase will report by 2028 and will consider “the long-term transformation of adult social care”.

The Government has been criticised for delaying fundamental reform of social care until the next Parliament. Delivering the review’s recommendations may be dependent on Labour winning a second term in power.

Lib Dem carers spokesperson Alison Bennett MP said: “The Conservatives' total neglect of social care brought us to this point, but this Labour government is now sitting on its hands. They have kicked fixing social care into the long grass whilst those holding the sector together continue to suffer immeasurably.”

A spokeswoman for the Government said: “Care workers play a vital role in society caring for our most vulnerable and deserve to be paid properly for their hard work. That’s why we’ve launched the first ever Fair Pay Agreement for carers, increased the National Living Wage - worth £1,400 more a year for full-time workers - and delivered the biggest ever rise in the Carer’s Allowance earnings threshold.

“We have also launched an independent review into social care to build a National Care Service, which will also look at how we can improve working conditions and retention.”