Social Care Staff Payment Excluding Deserving Support Staff

Responding to the Welsh Government’s announcement to give tens of thousands of social care staff a £1,000 extra payment, the Welsh Liberal Democrats have questioned why the payment will exclude ancillary staff who maintain care homes.

In a letter to Deputy Minister for Social Services Julie Morgan MS, Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader Jane Dodds MS said:

“I have recently been contacted by a resident in Powys about the announcement you made recently about an additional payment of £1,000 for care workers. Like me, they welcomed the investment in what is an often undervalued and overlooked workforce, and one which has been hit particularly hard by the pandemic.

“They did however raise concerns that the payment did not extend to ancillary staff who maintain care homes and ensure the wellbeing and care of residents, including cooks, cleaners, porters and so on.

“My constituent raises the point that these staff are part of a team working in care homes across Wales providing excellent care for their residents, and have faced the same pressures and exposure to COVID as those staff who provide care.

“I would urgently ask that the Deputy Minister considers extending this payment to this wider team of staff who have gone above and beyond during the pandemic.”