Bluebird Care Gloucestershire North have announced a 20% pay rise for their care assistants!
The COVID-19 pandemic created unprecedented challenges for health and social care services throughout the UK. The nation clapped for our carers throughout lockdown and has since regularly called for more carers to be employed, on top of better pay for our underappreciated heroes.
Bluebird Care Gloucestershire North, Stroud and Cirencester have answered those calls, with a 20% pay rise for their team of 36 care assistants. The generous pay rise means that their care assistants will earn between £14.40 and £15.60 for each hour spent with the nearly 100-strong customer base they currently care for in the community.
The UK is currently experiencing a shortage of health and social care workers across the country and Gloucestershire is not exempt. Bluebird Care Gloucestershire North, Stroud and Cirencester therefore hope to entice more care assistants into the industry with competitive pay that values and appreciate what is a notoriously challenging but rewarding occupation.
Being in a position to make somebody’s day that little bit better is the thing I find most rewarding about being a care assistant. I also enjoy meeting people and learning about their long and interesting lives. People in their eighties and nineties have lived through so much history and they often have interesting perspectives on things, along with a great sense of humour! From a personal point of view, I like the flexibility of care work and the way I can combine working part time care hours with running my own business. I joined Bluebird Care during the lockdown, and it’s really opened my eyes to the vital role that care workers play in helping elderly and vulnerable people to live happy lives within their own homes.
Susan Bradley, Care Assistant at Bluebird Care Gloucestershire North, Stroud and Cirencester
Home Care workers perform a vital and extremely responsible role in society and deserve to be paid accordingly. They have been working tirelessly throughout the pandemic, supporting vulnerable people to live well-rounded lives, and paying special attention to keeping people’s morale up when things have looked bleakest. A modern home care worker will have a high level of numeracy and literacy, be skilled in identifying multiple health conditions and be able to liaise with other healthcare professionals as a peer. They will take responsibility for managing medication and managing and assessing risk in their own workplace. We often expect them to deliver this comprehensive skillset during antisocial hours, and many home care workers will be out in the community early in the morning, late at night or at the weekend. We simply cannot expect this calibre of person to work for minimum wage, and are proud to have now announced this increase in pay to reflect these noble efforts.
Gareth Powick, Director of Bluebird Care Gloucestershire North, Stroud and Cirencester
