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Friday, 29 August 2014

Careworker's and service users' lives made even less happy by Care UK

By Kate Belgrave

Doncaster careworker: I had to leave my flat because #CareUK wage cuts made paying rent impossible

 Have more to add to this, but here’s a short post for those who are wondering why it is becoming impossible to make a living at carework:

Today, I spoke with Doncaster careworkers, including Mags Dalton, 44, who were protesting outside Bridgepoint Capital about charming private firm Care UK’s massive cuts to Doncaster careworkers’ wages. The careworkers work with people who have learning difficulties. Bridgepoint is the private equity company that owns Care UK – Mags’ employer.
Mags has lost about £400 a month as a result of those wages cuts and has been on strike for days this year in protest. Now, she’s had to give up her flat because she couldn’t afford the rent any more. She will move back to Newcastle to live with her parents. She will start another job and try to save up to move into another flat of her own at some point.

Mags is one of a number of Doncaster careworkers who have (and are as we speak) taken lengthy strike action in protest at the pay cuts of up to 35% being forced through by Care UK. Careworkers were transferred from the NHS to Care UK when the service was recently outsourced.

True to private sector form, Care UK quickly turned its attention to careworkers’ wages and conditions – wages and conditions which were hardly generous in the first place....

Continue reading on Kate's blog

Swheatie of the KUWG and Social Work Action Network London adds

See also these Community Care magazine blog pieces that have been more easily  accessed via a 'site' search of the Community Care website than by way of a Google search launched on the Community Care website! I suppose that potential loss of advertising revenue from Care UK may have been one of the factors that led Community Care to abandon the Outside Left blog that was excellently written by Mike McNabb.

  1. www.communitycare.co.uk/blogs/social-policy-blog/2010/03/...   Cached
    Those familiar with the line “because he’s worth it”will be interested in the windfall that is about to blow into the lap of Care UKchairman John Nash. Nash, as ...
  2. www.communitycare.co.uk/blogs/social-policy-blog/2009/11/...   Cached
    In April, Care UK was the subject of an investigation into domiciliary care for BBC One’s Panorama, which pointed out that the plc’s operations in Hertfordshire ...
  3. www.communitycare.co.uk/blogs/social-policy-blog/...   Cached
    Private provider Care UK may have been celebrating its rise in profits three weeks ago but this week marks the end of yet another contract, this time in Islington.
  4. www.communitycare.co.uk/blogs/social-policy-blog/...   Cached
    Outside Left Weighing into the social policy debate. ... Even Panorama cannot hold back Care UK. By Mike McNabb on 19 November , 2009 in Domiciliary care, Older people.
  5. www.communitycare.co.uk/.../care-uk-loses-another-contract   Cached
    Private provider Care UK may have been celebrating its rise in profits three weeks ago but this week marks the end of yet another contract, this time in Islington ...
  6. www.communitycare.co.uk/blogs/social-policy-blog/2010/05/...   Cached
    Outside Left Weighing into the social policy debate. Remove care home bedrails at your peril. By Mike McNabb on 11 May , 2010 in Adult care, Adults, ...
  7. www.communitycare.co.uk/blogs/social-policy-blog/2009/12/...   Cached
    Outside Left Weighing into the social policy debate. Those CQC ratings are less than adequate. By Mike McNabb on 9 December , 2009 in Care Quality Commission, Local ..

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