Wigan dad fronts charity's national campaign calling for better pay for social care workers

Nick Dickinson, who is a support worker for people with a learning disability, appears in charity Mencap’s Why We Care campaign, which launched last week and has already secured support from more than 4,000 people.

The campaign urges the Government to invest more money into social care and give better recognition and pay to social care workers.

Currently there are not enough people working in social care to meet the demands of people who need it, with around 152,000 vacancies.

This means many people who need social care are failing to get it, leaving them isolated, unable to get out into the community and have the support they need to thrive.

Mencap says the Government must provide more funding into social care to meet demand and to allow providers to pay more to those working in social care.

Nick, 48, who lives in Wigan, shared his experience of being a social care worker and the challenges facing those working in the sector in Parliament.

He told an audience of MPs as part of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Learning Disabilities: “I want to share the amazing parts of working in social care and what gets us out of bed in the morning, but I also wanted to shine a light on some of the difficult aspects of the job, particularly the lack of funding in social care and how it’s affecting so many of us."

Nick explained that he finds his job rewarding and has built a strong bond with the person he supports, but that sector-wide low pay makes it difficult for him to make ends meet and the high turnover of social care staff means he often works long hours.

Last year, he worked double the number of hours he usually does, resulting in him being unwell, because he wanted to ensure the person he supports got the consistent care he needs rather than getting support from an agency worker he does not know.

Nick shared Mencap’s research from more than 300 frontline workers in social care, revealing the stark reality of what it is like to work in the sector.

It found many workers were struggling to make ends meet because of sector-wide low pay, with two-fifths (39 per cent) of people saying they were in financial difficulty and many sharing stories of working long hours and cutting back on necessities.

Nick, who has two children, said: “People often think that when you work in social care you are only doing personal care, but we do so much more and it is such skilled work. We are giving out medication, some of us have training in helping people with epilepsy or tube feeding. We help people manage their finances or help them get jobs. We also help them with the everyday tasks so many people take for granted, like making a cup of tea or getting the bus. We look after people overnight, juggling our work with family responsibilities, and we sometimes have to work really long hours.

"But our pay doesn’t reflect that. Many of us only get a bit more than minimum wage and people can do similar roles in the NHS but be paid thousands more each year. The lack of funding in social care is really affecting us all. I'm struggling on the wages I get.

“Being a support worker is a vocation and so many of us do the job because we really love it. We want to give back to society. We believe people with a learning disability should get the best opportunity. We build strong bonds with the people we support. But the system needs to be properly funded so that people like me and my colleagues get the recognition and pay for the work we do so that we can stay in the job we love and provide support to people who need it.”

Mencap says sector-wide low pay is causing social care staff to leave the sector at a time when they are needed more than ever due to increasing to demand.

It is urging the Government to come up with a plan to encourage people to continue working in social care, including giving them a salary that mirrors similar skilled roles within the NHS, and to invest £8.4 billion into social care.

Acting CEO Jackie O’Sullivan said: “Support workers and service managers are the beating heart of social care and while it is heartening to see the passion and dedication so many bring to the role, it is also heart-breaking that so many are being affected by Government cuts and sector-wide low pay.

“Without long-term Government funding into social care, we could see the level of care and support people with a learning disability receive put at risk. Many people with a learning disability need support to get out into the community and to stay healthy. Ensuring there are enough support workers in the profession is vital to make this happen.

“The Government needs to fund a long-term plan that will meet increasing demand and commit to a minimum pay for those working in social care that reflects similar roles in the NHS to encourage people to stay in a career in social care. We’re encouraging everyone who recognises the importance of social care to sign our petition at mencap.org.uk/whywecare and show us they care.”