What hourly rate to pay carer

[Goingitalone]

My carers for Mum have usually been self employed so the hourly rate is normally what they have asked, around £10 ph which allows for their fuel etc. I haven't worried too much about this as they are so wonderful, taking Mum out to lunch, to the park to places where she can indulge in her favourite pastime-people watching.

They also do all the laundry and most of the housework while they are in with Mum and they get her a midday meal and get her washed and changed. I think I get good value for money, Mum is having a great time and they are cheaper than the agency girl who used to come, ask Mum if she wanted a wash, Mum would say no then she would pop something in the microwave and sit with Mum for 2 hrs at £12 per hour! I think the rate would have been increased if I'd had care at the weekend but I never asked for that.

I was recently talking to a sw about the rates I pay and she said I was paying far too much-£7 is the going rate and ss will take a dim view at the review. I also pay time and a half for Saturdays but I understand this is no longer done in the care 'industry'.

My question has arisen because I have just taken on a new carer who is directly employed by me. She is a relative of the self employed carer and so assumed she would be on the same rate as her. Apart from being now well over budget I'm worrying that ss may ask for the money back from me if they aren't happy.

This situation won't go on for much longer as Mum's continence problems are making her continued stay at home difficult (details on another thread) but I realise this isn't my money I'm spending and I do want to do what's fair to everyone.

I guess, in a nutshell, my question is, what's a fair rate to pay an employed carer who does 'everything' ?

Many thanks,

Maggie

 

[Izzy]

I have recently started with Direct Payments. I was told how much the carers should get. The get £9.80 an hour with double time for public holidays. the DP payment support worker told me that this us more than agency workers will be paid. It seems the conditions of service are also good They get 5 weeks paid holidays a year and 4 weeks paid sick leave. I am delighted that I have a support worker to keep me ring with all of this v

 

[Goingitalone]

Izzy, thanks for that. I feel better already!

This one was worrying me!

 

[Goingitalone]

I should probably also add that my carers look out for my brother, who has schizophrenia.

I could argue that it would cost the local authority a whole lot more than the £160 or so per week they allow us to house Mum and brother if the whole thing went pear-shaped (which it would if I weren't there to keep the plates spinning!).

Oh, I feel better.

If anyone else could give me an idea of the hourly rate in their part of the country I'd be grateful. I'm in the West Midlands.

Thank you all so much.

 

[CaPattinson]

Hi, in this area of west yorks, the rate is around £12 - 14 an hour for staff supplied by an agency. The same rate applies whether a weekday or weekend, bank holidays double.

Mileage is charged for any journeys taking a client out think its about 40pence per mile.

Good luck, hope you find what you need xxx

 

[sistermillicent]

The social worker is probably right that the carers get £7 per hour if they work for an agency, the cut the agency gets for anyone is huge. I don't think carers in care homes are paid much more, but not so sure about that.

BUT if I wanted to employ a cleaner for me I would have to pay at least £10 per hour in this area. Even baby sitting costs that much around here. I pay my son at that rate for gardening too.

Why on earth would someone want to mess up a system that works for you, with people you trust and who are reliable? If you are getting your mum cared for at £160 per week you have a bargain.

Pippa

 

[DozyDoris]

We get direct payments for Dad, we did pay my (ex) best friend £8.40 an hour but on top of that pay her stamp and a small admin fee to the charity who run the account for us.
I have just found a new lady who is self employed, she charges £16 an hour, another who will hopefully help soon is £14. They will pay their own stamp and insurance etc.
The money is paid by the County Council, I don't think they can dictate like that, private caring does not come cheap, as long as the money is being correctly used that should be good enough.

 

[jimbo 111]

Before my wife died (1 year ago ) we were paying £16 an hour fo to our local council for Carers
Compared to some of the rates mentioned this may sound exhorbitant but the service we got was exemplary.
Wehad regular carers ,and when they were oon holiday or sick the supervisors always provided back up with a carer my wife was familiar with
The 'back up' from the office was another advantage . The carers (after consulting me) would inform their office of any problems they thought my wife needed attention
district nurse, SW ,Dr, continence nurse ,etc and the office would make the necessary contact,
So although the fee seemed high I got a lot of help and peace of mind for my extra money
jimbo 111

 

[Nebiroth]

£7 per hour is not much above minimum wage. Now, social services might be able to negotiate with an agency who might pay their staff that low (although it will actually cost more because the agency want their slice of the cake) but a private individual engaging outside of an agency can't do that; the cynic inside also tells me that if you pay minimum rates you tend to get minimum service. It also sounds like nonsense that people working on weekends don't get an extra rate - again, unless they're with an agency and do some sort of flexitime arrangement.

It's difficult to say what a "fair rate" is, so much depends on the going rates in your area and you ability to negotiate as an employer. If you're a government outfit like SS then you have a much stronger bargaining position than a private individual.

Personally I wouldn't say your rates are excessive by any means.

 

[Goingitalone]

Thank you all so much. I was beginning to feel I'd squandered public money.

The social worker I spoke to said that I was definitely overpaying my staff, that they expect me to get the most care for the least money.

I, too, think that my carers aren't overpaid by any means and a more willing workforce couldn't be found. They have all worked in care homes or in the private homes of elderly people so are excellent at their job.

I try so hard to make them feel appreciated and I would never take them for granted. They are angels!

I've been pinching myself, I can't believe how well the Direct Payments system works.

But, I have to say, I've had nothing but grief from my local Social Services. They dragged their feet setting it up, gave me no support in the initial stages and now are moaning about my rates of pay.

Shame on them!!!!! Never has elderly care been funded so grudgingly!!

Thanks, as always, you have restored my faith.

Maggie

 

[diablo]

When mother had carers I paid £11 per hour. The hour tended to consist of about 35 minutes on the premises though. It was via Blackpool council even though it was a private company supplying them.

I have no idea if the council topped it up or how much the carers themselves actually got. The carers used to complain to me that the ones employed directly by the council got much more than they did though.

 

[Izzy]

I should have said that our carers get £9.80 but insurance etc is paid for out of the direct payments fund. The £9.80 is 'in their hand' as they say! There is also a much higher rate for overnight sits but we haven't used these yet. The system is working really well for us.

 

[Haylett]

Maggie, I think half the problem with Direct Payments or Self-Directed Support, is that the terms and contracts between local authorities and their clients (ie you) are often different from one region to another. In our case, I have found that although we had a very willing DP department, those who were offering support in an advisory role, didn't understand labour or employment legislation very well, because they never had to, or were trained to.

In our case, as in that of Izzy's, the hourly rates are set by the Council under TUPE - which stands for Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment). Complicated terminology which basically means that as an employer of carers, you will be required to offer some/most of the same conditions that are offered to council carers. As Izzy says, that sets gross rates of pay per hour, which makes provision for tax and NI; holiday pay for regular carers; sickness pay etc. But if the Council are providing funding, usually they process the PAYE slips which tells you how much to pay each month.

If they give you a lump sum and it is up to you to do your best with it, with no strings attached (no TUPE conditions), it seems to me that you are doing very well. A call to one or two agencies in your area, plus say, the Job Centre, will soon tell you that hourly rates of pay are usually higher than the rate you are paying. Agencies are typically £ 13-15/hour. It's possible that the carer paid by the agency receives only £7 /hour but that is because the agency admin fees are so high. You still have to pay the £ 13/hour rate - and I doubt very much that you would find any carer who would do so much as you describe, for around £ 7/hour. I think this is a case of SS not really understanding how pay rates work or how the job market works.

If you feel a bit vulnerable, what I would do, is look up in yellow pages or on the internet for a range of agencies who would provide services to you, and ask them what their hourly rates would be. Then you can present a comparative list, showing that you have done your homework to be "competitive" in the rates of pay that you offer. Even if you offered cash in hand, I doubt very much whether you would get anyone for £ 7/hour. Give yourself a pat on the back - you're doing very well!

 

[littlebrownbird]

We have direct payments for Dave and have been told what the maximum is that we can pay. It's managed (badly) by an agency appointed by our council. We could do it ourselves but Dave hides anything that looks important so it's not realy feasable. We can pay just under £8 an hour, I think it is, and the rest has to be kept back for tax, national insurance, holiday pay, personal insurance and I've been told we need some money set aside for redundancy. We also have been allowed to pay about £13 for someone from an agency but this means the hours Dave has been given are less to compensate.
Just a thought though, you said your brother needs help as well so could he also be entitled to direct payments then you could double their wages!!
And another thought-we have to pay a contribution towards the direct payments, which the council work out. They have ignored the extra bit you get for the top band of disability living allowance (care componant) but take into account all of the rest.
It doesn't seem right as Dave only has 15 hours a week care and it is supposed to be for the whole week. Another argument looms, I think
Good luck with your SS. It was our social worker who sorted out the direct payments for us and is now involved with sorting out the mess that the agency have made.

 

[Goingitalone]

Thank you, Haylett and littlebrownbird,

I thought I might print this thread for s services but I guess they could argue that these rates are not for my area so I will do the research suggested in the yellow pages and online for my area. I can then have a print-out ready to show them.

I've also taken the precaution of asking someone from my brother's mental health team to be there at the next assessment as an advocate for him. Mum's district nurse has also asked to be there. I think they'll think twice about causing a stink if I have others who may be able to explain better than I could that we really do need this extra funding to keep my brother from meltdown.

Thank you all so much for your brilliant suggestions.

This is a wonderful forum. There's always someone with ideas to help in these difficult situations.

 

[simonmonty]

I live in Hull East Yorkshire and the carers get paid from minimum wage unqualified up to about £9 pounds and hour depending on qualifications level 2 NVQ. Carers have always been seen as doing an undervalued very important job that many would be unable or unwilling to do for such a low wage. Good carers are worth their weight in gold with or with out qualifications.

 

[dottyd]

Have you asked for a catheter for continence problems.

 

[Goingitalone]

Hi Dotty,

Catheter would be difficult as Mum hates being manhandled 'down there' as she puts it. She has too much mental capacity to allow that at the moment and I'm sure she's pull it out, or attempt to, because of the discomfort.

It certainly wasn't mentioned by the continence nurse so I'm guessing she felt the same.

A good suggestion, tho. Thanks for that.

 

[seaurchin]

Hi

We are in the West Midlands and receive £10 per hour for carers through Direct Payments. The carers are paid £9 per hour and the extra covers holiday pay and replacement holiday cover. I believe my husband receives the higher rate of Direct Payments as he can be aggressive.

Kind Regards

Helen

 

[momma221]

hi

My carers for Mum have usually been self employed so the hourly rate is normally what they have asked, around £10 ph which allows for their fuel etc. I haven't worried too much about this as they are so wonderful, taking Mum out to lunch, to the park to places where she can indulge in her favourite pastime-people watching.

They also do all the laundry and most of the housework while they are in with Mum and they get her a midday meal and get her washed and changed. I think I get good value for money, Mum is having a great time and they are cheaper than the agency girl who used to come, ask Mum if she wanted a wash, Mum would say no then she would pop something in the microwave and sit with Mum for 2 hrs at £12 per hour! I think the rate would have been increased if I'd had care at the weekend but I never asked for that.

I was recently talking to a sw about the rates I pay and she said I was paying far too much-£7 is the going rate and ss will take a dim view at the review. I also pay time and a half for Saturdays but I understand this is no longer done in the care 'industry'.

My question has arisen because I have just taken on a new carer who is directly employed by me. She is a relative of the self employed carer and so assumed she would be on the same rate as her. Apart from being now well over budget I'm worrying that ss may ask for the money back from me if they aren't happy.

This situation won't go on for much longer as Mum's continence problems are making her continued stay at home difficult (details on another thread) but I realise this isn't my money I'm spending and I do want to do what's fair to everyone.

I guess, in a nutshell, my question is, what's a fair rate to pay an employed carer who does 'everything' ?

Many thanks,

Maggie

Im really interested in caring for people at home, cooking, cleaning, shopping and just for company. Im a extremely caring person but wouldnt know where to start with prices and how to let people knw this is what I want to do, id rather do it myself than work for a firm tho, could you please give me some advice? Thanx your mum sounds a pleasure to help