Pay the equivalent of a 35 hours a week minimum wage for full time carers. At the current £8.21 minimum wage that would be £287.35 pw
Why is this important?
The current rate for carers who provide AT LEAST 35 hours of care a week for their loved ones is £66.15 per week. If the carer works for any significant number of hours, this is reduced. But for many carers, the care they provide is 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with little or no option to go to work, as who would then care for their loved one?
The government provides less than quarter of the minimum wage a week, leaving many carers and their families in a very difficult position financially, when they are already often under extreme stress due to the challenges of providing full time care. But if the state were to look after the person in need of care, in a Care home or similar institution, it would cost several thousand pounds a month and possibly more.
Most people would prefer to live at home with their loved ones, not in a care home, so let's make that a properly financed option.
I started this petition as I'm a full time carer for a loved one who has Alzheimer's disease. In an ideal world everyone would be paid the real living wage, but currently the fact that carers don't even get the government minimum wage is appalling.
Let's get this into the manifesto of all parties for the upcoming election!
