Bristol care workers making elderly and disabled ill as they ‘can’t afford to go off sick’

A trade union boss has warned some care workers in Bristol are making elderly and disabled ill as they can’t afford to go off sick. Unison is calling on Bristol City Council to improve pay and conditions in care homes across the city as a third of shifts are left vacant.

Most care services in Bristol are now outsourced to private companies, but the council still plays a major role in contracting out these services. After the UK left the European Union, care homes across the country have struggled to hire and retain enough staff.

This leaves care homes relying on expensive agency workers, while the few staff who remain are often just paid statutory sick pay. Councillors on the adult social care policy committee on Monday, July 1, were urged to use their new clout to increase both wages and sick pay.

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Steve Mills, Unison area organiser, said: “In some organisations which conduct services for Bristolians, there’s vacancy rates of 30 to 40 per cent, this is mainly at weekends and nights. The service providers are having to backfill the vacancies with expensive agency staff.

“The agency staff aren’t allowed to do personal care, drive vehicles or give out medication due to insurance issues. Some of the workers are seeing this, the agency workers are getting paid better and don’t have so many stressful strains, so they leave the service to come back as an agency worker.”

He said the council should improve its baseline standards. These are what organisations have to provide to get funding or contracts with Bristol City Council, including pay and conditions. Statutory sick pay is currently £116.75, which for many people is too little to cover basic bills.

Mr Mills added: “It won’t even cover people’s rent. If they’re sick through no fault of their own, they’re literally facing poverty and debt. Sick pay is an issue because of cross-contamination. People are coming in when they’re unwell and affecting the service users and their fellow colleagues. The reason for that is they really cannot survive on statutory sick pay.”