Responding to the Government’s announcement that a decision on minimum wage enforcement in the social care sector will be suspended for a further month, Glen Garrod, vice president of the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS), says: “We welcome this extended suspension of minimum wage enforcement concerning sleep-in shifts for care staff, including the issue of historic back pay, which remains a significant concern to the social care sector.
"Dedicated and hardworking care workers deserve recognition and reward but any potential retrospective claim, together with forward costs, will seriously threaten the sustainability of the care market, and pose high additional risk to what is already a fragile, and in some places, failing sector.
“Any potential retrospective claim could severely impact on the care of thousands of older and disabled people and amplifies the overarching need for an urgent, long-term solution to the sustainability of the care market, and a speedy, fair and consistent solution to the issue of sleep-in payments that is fully funded by Government. We would welcome clarity and a resolution of the situation as soon as possible.”
