How does the care sector benefit from the decision to suspend penalties regarding sleep-in shift pay?
Michael Hodges, Head of Consultancy - Care, comments on why today's Government announcement that minimum wage enforcement activity will be temporarily suspended for social care providers shows a positive step towards finding a solution for the social care funding crisis.
Christie & Co welcomes today’s announcement that the government has temporarily suspended enforcement activity and is waiving historical penalties against employers concerning sleep-in shift pay in the social care sector.
The social care sector is currently facing a myriad of challenges, most of which were highlighted in our key note research report launched last week; Adult Social Care 2017: Funding, Staffing & the Bed Blocking Challenge. What was made explicitly clear is that care providers cannot face further overheads, or indeed a £400 million back payment bill.
The announcement gives hope to the sector that the government is willing to work closely with care providers in order to find a solution to some of these issues. Our report highlighted that people remain the most crucial part of the UK's healthcare system and remuneration must be addressed fairly in line with government funding. Bringing both parties to the table is an important step forward.
