Somerset County Council and the NHS have announced a potential £4.8m investment to increase pay and recognise the hard work and vital contribution of carers in the county. Working with Unison, the Council and NHS are proposing changes to carers’ pay which will take effect immediately, and include a nine per cent uplift to domiciliary care providers (in CQC regulated settings) who agree to pay all their staff a minimum of £10.50 per hour; a retention bonus of £250 for those who have been working in registered care for the last six months; a £250 payment for new starters in domiciliary care (who had not worked in care in Somerset for the preceding three months).The funding for these changes has been jointly agreed and funded by Somerset County Council and the NHS, as social care is crucial in supporting people leaving hospital and in the community. Councillor David Huxtable, Somerset County Council’s Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, said: “Somerset is determined to break the mould and put in place a plan that values our carers and care providers, and increases the workforce and capacity, particularly in domiciliary care settings.
Source: MidDevonStar