Radfield is proud to celebrate ‘Living Wage Week 2020’

Radfield Home Care Harrogate, Wetherby and North Yorkshire has been celebrating UK National Living Wage Week 2020, a campaign that launched on November 9th 2020 showcasing the benefits of offering a ‘Living Wage’ to both employees and clients.

As a Living Wage foundation accredited employer Radfield Home Care Harrogate, Wetherby and North Yorkshire guarantees their care professionals receive the independently calculated ‘real’ Living Wage rate – the only UK rate based on actual living costs and is recalculated annually. As of November 2020 an impressive 78% of Radfield Home Care’s network have become Living Wage accredited, demonstrating Radfield’s commitment to fair and transparent pay for their care professionals.

The Living Wage Week 2020 campaign itself saw focus placed on employers within the health and social care sector, due to the vital role care assistants play in society and the importance that paying a real living wage has upon retaining and developing highly skilled carers.

Matthew Nutting, Co-Director of Radfield Home Care Harrogate, Wetherby and North Yorkshire offers his thoughts on the importance and relevance of becoming a Living Wage accredited employer, and the benefits it affords to both care professionals and clients alike:

Why did you become a living wage employer?

“We became a living wage accredited employer in 2019 as we recognised that our care workers are some of the most valuable people in our local community, caring for the vulnerable and older people. All too often they are underappreciated, which generates a poor working environment and low rates of pay. We are proud to turn that on its head; we offer our carers the Real Living Wage for all their time spent working – which means we pay them the same hourly rate for the time they spend caring for clients as well as the time they spend driving. Our Caring for our Carers pledge also means they receive a supportive working environment, regular training and career progression opportunities.”

What are the main benefits Radfield can offer to its care professionals by being a living wage employer?

“I believe carers are one of the most committed work forces out there, yet all too often they are not acknowledged for their efforts. Radfield already has a great policy for rewarding staff through our Caring for Carers Pledge, but I wanted to try and take this one step further. We actively encourage our staff and prospective carers to check the real wage they earn by checking the Govt. living wage calculator tool. I would definitely recommend Living Wage Accreditation to any business out there looking to grow sustainably and ethically.”

What are the benefits to Radfield’s valued clients?

“I am really pleased to see it has helped with my staff retention and satisfaction, but I am amazed at the impact it has had on my clients. They really like the fact that we put as much emphasis on looking after our staff as we do providing them with a high quality care service.”

Being an accredited Living Wage Home care Provider benefits not just Radfield’s clients and care professionals, but also the wider adult social care sector. Promoting and championing the concept of a real living wage means Radfield is pushing the agenda for change on low care sector wages. Radfield Home Care Harrogate, Wetherby and North Yorkshire is proud to be able to play a part in this.

If you would like to find out more about Radfield Home Care jobs and how you can join the team, you can visit www.radfieldhomecare.co.uk or contact the office directly [email protected] or 01423 608 760.