The Elephant in the Care Sector

Let me paint you a picture.

You reach out to a care agency as you are struggling to cover shifts. They tell you “we charge £13 per hour” (March 2023) You think-  “lucky me! This is much cheaper than I had expected.”

But is it?

Let’s break this down.

Taking a closer look at Agencies

There is no way that any agency charging these fees will pay their carer more than £9.50 (March 2023*). * Changes to minimum wages from 6th April 23 to £10.48.

Once the carer’s fee is deducted the agency takes £3.50 ( that is 27% commission). Not bad earnings for them.

In order for the agency to cover their expenses of running a business there will be little money left to contribute to the mandatory development of those same carers that are now supporting the elderly or vulnerable residents in your care home. They end up being given a one day training that covers all required subjects.

Let’s be real – there is no way that carers will be able to learn or retain any knowledge this way. It is only a matter of time before things will start to go wrong. As the saying goes “you get what you pay for”. Do you want to risk having safeguarding issues and downgraded ratings in your care home?

Taking a closer look at Carers

Let’s circle back to the carer. He or she takes home the minimum hourly rate. If they work 5 shifts via the agency every week all year around  (which they don’t ) they will make £545 weekly, or £2360 monthly. The most likely scenario is that they will take home only £350 per week or £16000 per year. Once tax is deducted, they end up taking home even less. Under current price increases and rise in the cost of living , no one will be able to manage with this.

The carer is left with two options:

 1) Increase the hours and days worked

This will lead to carers being overworked and ultimately making mistakes. In turn this will lead to safeguarding issues and finally your care home rating downgraded to “needing improvement”. The consequence that results from this is that no new packages will be given to you and no new residents will be coming in. After all, who will want to leave their parents, brothers, sisters, sons or daughters in your charge?

 2) leave the sector altogether

Why not leave, when you can get paid £14 per hour as a barista or supermarket worker. Easier work, and taking home a more decent salary of £28000.

So lets look at the final figures: £16000 for an emotionally and physically draining job vs. £28000 to occasionally smile at customers and let them know which aisle the ice cream is in. It’s a no brainer. Hence the exodus from the care industry is happening already.

By now you have probably stopped feeling so lucky as you have just started to realise that you have a much, much bigger problem on your hands. No one (even the long standing carers with their hearts set on helping others) will  want to or financially be able to continue to working in the care sector.

So next time you start complaining that you can’t recruit or have access to good, professional carers, go to the closest mirror and take a long look. You will see the very person who has caused the collapse of the care sector. By accepting to work with agencies who charge only £13 per hour for their carers, you are actually contributing to the very issues that you are facing day in day out.  And sadly, this will only get worse.

How do I change this?!

Our advice to you: stop using these “very good deal” agencies as they are just here as a quick fix . It is not a feasible solution that will help to alleviate the biggest problem facing the Health and Social Care – Staffing.

Simply use MyWorkMode instead.

You might end up paying £15/£16 per hour for a carer, but that carer will take home £13/£14 per hour. Our fee to you is 15% (we do not take commission from the carer’s set hourly rate), and certainly  not 27% like those care agencies.

And what you get in return is someone who cares and who will become a part of your extended team by repeatedly taking shifts from your care home. Someone who will get to know your residents and team members. Someone who is supported by us with training and access to a great community of other carers sharing knowledge and their experience.

And you get access to monthly offers of free shifts, staff training and permanent recruitment support without any fees.

It’s a simple swap that  may well make you start feeling lucky again.

Don’t Ignore the Elephant in the room. Do Better. Use MyWorkMode.