To wonder if being a home carer is one of the worst jobs

[Idonotneedagarden]

And yet so important, yet they are paid less than minimum wage.

The agencies don't get paid what the carers get paid. If you have an issue with what carers are paid either entice them away from their agency with a good pay package or have words with the agencies.

Sorry?

The agencies who supply carers. Get paid a lot more than the carers do.

If you're talking about people who don't work to care for relatives though then I can't see them upping carers allowance.

Agree. They should be paid in gold coins. In the main, they do a wonderful job.

Yes, I’m aware of that - but the conditions are dreadful and many come from the councils not rh agencies.

Eh? What?

Carers allowance is £10 per 24 hours!

Yes, carers’ allowance is a pittance too.

The council's commission private agencies to supply the workers. It's the same pool of carers as if you paid privately for them.

If you want to pay them more (and bloody hell do they deserve it!) Then pay more taxes

The pay for Care Work in this country is a disgrace YANBU

That’s not quite true Melting.

In fact, none of it is true. But I do think you’re just being provocative.

My sister, who has worked on care for many years recently took a job doing at-home care visits.

After two weeks she left and went back to work in a care home. She said it was, without a doubt, the worst job she had ever had.

Fifteen minute calls, between eight and twelve people to visit per ‘shift’. Dreadful.

It is true, but it varies round the country. In this county it's very much the case. You can either have a managed care package where the council put carers from private agencies in for you at set times or you can have a personal budget and approach the agencies yourself to employ them more flexibly. The latter is where you can generally poach good carers if you feel guilty enough about their pay and pay them the agency rate not the salaried rate.

But I know nothing.

That’s only the case if you are entitled to direct payments and that can bring its own problems. But I am talking about the carers themselves.

And most councils won't commission 15 minute visits any more either as they're not sufficient to actually care for a person. You can still commission them privately though.

And I'm saying how the system works and why their pay is so dire. It's because people don't want to pay higher taxes and agencies don't want to pay fair rates!

What do you mean, ‘one of the worst jobs?’

Would you mind elaborating?

There are some good care companies out there that do minimum of 1 hour visits and ensure their staff have proper travel time, it costs more than councils will pay tho

Well around here they certainly have mostly fifteen minute calls.

captain, anti social hours (weekends, Christmas, early morning, late evening) split shifts, wear and tear on car, petrol costs, bodily functions, dealing with death and serious illness, fifteen minute calls, four visits = £7.90 (is it now?)

And it is a lot of responsibility.

I work as a community carer to support myself while I finish my nursing degree and I don’t consider it ‘one of the worst jobs’. I also don’t earn minimum wage (£10.30/hr), I don’t do 15 minute calls and I don’t need your pity.

Working in this heat hasn't been the most fun but honestly it’s a rewarding, lovely job.

Then that's their prerogative. Thankfully I live in an area where they aren't permitted if funded by the LA

I’m not trying to pity you but the fact is lots of home carers don’t have the conditions you do.

melting why you’re having a go at me because my local council do something out of my control, I don’t know, I really don’t.

I do think you're generally talking out your arse on this thread quite frankly OP. If you don't want to do the job don't do it but the vast majority of carers love their jobs and see it as a great privilege to do what they do and a lot of agencies DO pay fair rates and travel.

As I said earlier you want better money into social care campaign for a raise in taxes.

I'm not having a go. I just I think you need to stop generalising