A health and social care charity has increased pay for its 1,800 social care workers in a £4.6m investment.
Alternative Futures Group provides support for people with learning disabilities and mental health conditions.
It said today it had increased pay for all its social care workers from £11 an hour to £12 – a 9 per cent rise.
The charity said this came after it spent £3.6m increasing pay for care workers last year, taking the total investment in this area to almost £8m over the past two years.
Kirsty Murphy, chief people officer and chief operating officer at AFG, said the charity must continue investing to ensure it attracts new talent.
“The industry is woefully underfunded and is consequently in crisis whereby carers are unable to afford to put food on the table,” said Murphy.
“Councils do not pay enough to support payment of real Living Wage and providers are having to call on reserves to support the social care workforce, ensuring it still exists to provide support to the most vulnerable.
“Our commitment to our hard-working staff, recognising they are critical to the success of the organisation and the sector, is unwavering.”
Alternative Futures Group had an income of £65m in the financial year ending 31 March 2023, an increase of £4m on the previous year.
The charity said: “We’re proud to care for 800 people with learning disabilities and mental health conditions and aim to increase the provision of care to more than 1,000 people by 2026.”
– This article was amended on 4 April 2024 after the charity said staff were previously paid £11 per hour not £10.90, as it originally said.