Budget “not enough” to save care services, warns Rotherham charity
“Going into care should be a career - It should be really good salaries, terms and conditions, it should incentivise people to come into the care sector”
A leading care charity has said that measures announced in the budget are “not enough” to support carers, who are facing immense financial pressures.
Liz Hopkinson, business development manager at Crossroads Care Rotherham, said that carers often work 70 hour weeks and current measures to support them are inadequate.
She said: “The Chancellor has not really done anything for the charities and it's us that’s actually supporting carers.
“We're having staff coming to us and saying ‘we love the job but we can't afford to continue’.
“We always welcome the fact that they are reviewing the Carer’s Allowance as it’s currently not enough to live on.”
In Wednesday’s budget, Chancellor John Healey announced an end to the ‘cliff edge’ Carer’s Allowance, which currently means any carer earning even a penny more than £204 a week loses their entire allowance.
Ms Hopkinson welcomed the change to the allowance, but said carers will still face financial challenges and that it "definitely needs to come sooner” than the proposed 2030 start date.
She said: “This has always been a massive challenge for working carers.
“Carers that are working sometimes, inadvertently, go slightly over and all of a sudden they are landed with a bill.
“They’re under a lot of stress anyway - they’re trying to work and manage families, and with the pressure of being suddenly told you have a debt it's just the nail in the coffin,” she added.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has promised to create a National Care Service to help improve the provision of care nationally after his own father passed away.
Ms Hopkinson said: “I’m hoping he understands the challenges.
“Going into care should be a career - It should be really good salaries, terms and conditions, it should incentivise people to come into the care sector.
“Thers a lot of people who would love the work but they can't afford to do the work," she added.
Ms Hopkinson hopes that the government will recognise the wider challenges facing care services, such as the rising cost of living and last year’s National Insurance contribution increase.
She said: “Everything is a challenge for charities at the moment, and a lot of charities are folding.
“I’m not blaming the councils because they can only use what comes down from the government, so something needs to happen so that the councils get more funding.
“If we’re not around anymore then who is going to pick up all the care work and how much would that cost the government? It’s a big bill.”
Ms Hopkinson urged anyone who can to help out charities in Rotherham, and to support Crossroads Care.
She said: “If there's any local businesses out there that would like to support us, get in touch. We desperately need your help.”