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We are pleased to announce that we are now a proud sponsor of the Care Workers Charity! This means that we are supporting care workers in ensuring they receive financial stability and support.

What is a standard day in the life of a Care Worker?

 

More than 600,000 people work in the care sector, many for agencies hired councils, on zero-hours contract and minimal rates of pay. In the UK, there are nearly 2 million care workers, contributing to one of Britain’s largest workforces! In November 2016, it was reported that the number of care workers on zero-hours contracts jumped to one in seven. (The Guardian, 2016).

This work however is often unrecognised and care workers of extremely young ages are faced with hard work and very little reward. For Britain’s care workers, early starts, long hours and mentally draining work are the normal daily expectations of their job. As a result, it’s all too common unforeseen circumstances such as illnesses to push beyond financial limits.

 

A documentary of the daily struggles faced by carers can be found in an article by The Guardian in November 2016, which documented a day in the life of a young carer who was referred to as Jean to protect her identity. Jean is on a zero-hours contract, like the majority of the 2 million care workers in the UK. Jean worked 12 days on and two days off. Her list of appointments comes through on a Friday but would often change during the week as people were discharged from hospital and added to her client list, or admitted to hospital and removed. She is also asked to cover a colleague’s visits if they are off.

 

Jean reports that there is no minimum guarantee of work, and her days can often “shrink or grow”. To stay with each client for the full appointment time and make it to the next one on time would “require some kind of teleporter”, she states. Jean has to cut every one of them short so that she can leave the house, sometimes put a key back into a safe, get back in her car and travel to the next house. As a result, sometimes appointments scheduled for 30 minutes actually last only 20 so she can stay on schedule, causing a lot of stress and hard work for very little reward.

 

As a country, we depend on our care workers to be there for us on our rainy day. The Care
Workers Charity is there for care workers like Jean on theirs. As the population ages, it is a growing industry, and more than 600,000 people are now employed in the care sector. Care workers play an important role in improving the quality of life for people who are unable to live independently, providing clients with their only human contact all day. Therefore, it is vital that we step in and do something to ensure the care workers are given the financial stability and support that they deserve.

What do the Care Workers Charity do?

 

In recognition of this workforce and the help they require, The Care Workers Charity was
founded in 2009 with the promise to provide support for the care workers who work long hours donate their time and energy for helping others.

 

The Care Workers Charity are here to support current, former and retired care workers,
who are experiencing financial hardship.

If you or a partner work or have previously worked within the UK Care Profession in a registered domiciliary, residential care or supported living service, the Care Worker’s Charity may be able to offer support.

 

Countrywide Healthcare will now be supporting the charity amongst other companies such as Hallmark Care Homes and Care England. We look forward to organising fundraising events and sponsoring fun activities to raise money and support the 2 million care workers in the UK.

 

If your company or organisation would like to find out how you can support the charity or find out about the grant applications, visit www.thecareworkerscharity.org.uk.

Watch the video below to hear from the many organisations that support the charity.

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