A Stockport company is behind a national campaign to raise the standards of in-home care. Husband and wife team Karen and Simon Perry are behind 15.75 – www.fifteenseventyfive.com – campaigning for in-home providers to receive a minimum of £15.75 per hour from local authorities and the NHS across the UK so providers can comply with the national minimum wage.
Just seven months ago Karen and Simon launched ‘Alice Chilton’, a Stockport based family run in-home care business, privately funded and committed to raising the standard of Care across the board.
Karen (pictured left) explains:
“The level of funding varies from council to council and most cases isn’t sufficient to guarantee the Care worker the minimum wage. Whilst I fully understand the financial challenges our councils face I believe that given a choice most of us would prioritise funding for this valuable role. Many older and disabled people rely on home care for daily tasks such as washing and dressing. Some pay for it, but others get help from councils. The squeeze on public sector spending means that local authority rates hardly cover the National Minimum Wage when travel time and travel costs are taken into consideration. There are councils anticipating bids of below £10 for an hour of homecare, when the worker costs alone are over £11.00 per hour.”
A recent BBC Radio 4 programme found that only four out of 101 councils in England paid the UKHCA’s previous minimum price for homecare.
Karen added:
“We need to work together to ensure the very best standards of care for all, no matter where you live or whether your care is funded by the local authority or paid for privately. One way to achieve this is to recruit great people and pay the appropriate wage.”
Karen has established an online petition to raise awareness of the issue and to encourage everyone with a concern for vulnerable adults and the elderly, and the level of care they can expect in their homes, to get involved. She has also approached local councillors, MP’s and other care industry professionals to engage in the debate.
You can find the petition at www.fifteenseventyfive.co.uk and contact Karen Perry at email: info@fifteenseventyfive.com
For further information – Karen Perry at karen@alicechilton.com