A social care leader wants everybody working in the sector to receive a £1,000 bonus payment following the announcement of the Welsh Government cash boost.
Tens of thousands of social care staff who will be eligible for the real living wage from April will receive an additional £1,000 net payment from the government.
Deputy Minister Julie Morgan announced the £96m investment to support staff amid the worst cost-of-living crisis in decades.
The additional payment will be £1,498 before deductions for tax and national insurance. Care workers on basic rate of income tax can expect to receive £1,000 after deductions.
But Mario Kreft, the chair of Care Forum Wales, said that while he welcomed the money he wanted everyone in the sector to benefit - including cooks, care support workers and cleaners.
Here is the list of those who will receive £1,000:
Role |
Number |
Adult Care Home Manager |
1,346 |
Adult Care Home Worker |
15,565 |
Domiciliary Care Manager |
1009 |
Domiciliary Care Worker |
25,000 |
Residential Child Care Manager |
312 |
Residential Child Care Worker |
3385 |
Personal Assistants |
6370 |
Total |
52,987 |
Mr Kreft said: “We certainly welcome the £1,000 as a first step recruiting and retaining social care workers at a time when we are facing the worst staffing crisis anybody in the sector can remember.
“There is a much bigger issue about how we value social care worker and how we commission social care to ensure that our wonderful workforce receive the rewards that they deserve.
“We have been having weekly meetings with the Deputy Minister and we are grateful to her for her inclusive approach in involving Care Forum Wales in her deliberations.
“In relation to the £1,000, there is a question mark about those people who have slogged their guts out during the Covid nightmare, through all of the challenges, who may not be eligible.
“I am thinking of people who may have been dealing with infection control, catering and cleaning staff because they have all played an absolutely key role in keeping people safe.
“We really need to have clarity that these people are not going to be overlooked because there has been an astonishing commitment by the social care sector and social care workers in different settings come in all shapes and sizes.
“I hope there’s going to discretion in that guidance for employers to be able to ensure those who have kept people safe and gone above and beyond during the pandemic are rewarded for those efforts.
“The key thing is that nobody gets overlooked because in Wales social care staff have made an astonishing contribution to the safety of vulnerable people.
“We need to make sure that social care family benefits but I think that’s possible because I think the government understands the sector has made.
“The issue is quite different in terms of the £43 million that’s been set aside to pay people Real Living Wage from April.
“The delivery mechanism for that needs to be very carefully developed in partnership with the sector so that the guidance is such that local authorities and health boards will ensure it gets through to the front line so that our staff can actually receive the Real Living Wage."
A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “We are extremely grateful for the work all social care workers and all care home staff have done throughout the pandemic.
“Ancillary workers in care homes received the £500 and £735 recognition payments in 2020 and 2021 due to their tremendous work during the pandemic.
“Today’s payment is different and is linked to the introduction of the real living wage for specific social care workers in care homes, domiciliary care and Personal Assistants paid via direct payments.
“The payment is part of our commitment to raising the status and standard of the social care profession.”
The Deputy Minister said: "The introduction of the real living wage in social care is one of our key priorities and I’m pleased we have been able to do this in our first year of government.
"At a time when we are facing a cost-of-living crisis, this additional payment to care workers receiving the real living wage shows our commitment to supporting people and encouraging more people to consider a rewarding job in care.
"I’ve seen first-hand the difference social care workers make to people’s everyday lives and I know just how valued they are.
"We want to see more people take up permanent jobs in social care and start a rewarding career. We also hope those who are considering leaving social care, or who have already left, will stay."
