Sheffield care home staff to get big pay rise during coronavirus crisis

A Sheffield care home boss has vowed to give his staff a pay rise during the coronavirus pandemic - saying it is ‘no more than they deserve’ for their hard work and commitment during the current crisis.
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All staff at Rosebank in Burngreave and Leahyrst in Upperthorpe will be paid at least £10 per hour for the next month - amounting to a £1.79 per hour wage increase for minimum wage staff at the homes.

The rise will be funded entirely out of Silver Healthcare boss Roy Young’s own pocket, who said the increase was about giving care home staff ‘the respect they deserved’.

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He said: “There has been a great deal in the news pledging support for the great work of NHS staff. People often forget the army of dedicated care staff that work in care homes like mine.

“They’re turning up everything day to protect and care for the most vulnerable people in society and the majority are on minimum wage.

“They continue to come into work whilst the rest of the country stays indoors to protect themselves from coronavirus. They are under great stress, they do a brilliant job and they deserve more.”

Inadequate local government funding together with the chronic shortage of qualified staff forced Roy to shut his biggest home – Fulwood Lodge – in November last year, after over 20 years of service.

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The wage increase will last for the next month when the situation will be reviewed again.

Silver Healthcare boss Roy Young with former Lord Mayor of Sheffield, Councillor Talib Hussain.Silver Healthcare boss Roy Young with former Lord Mayor of Sheffield, Councillor Talib Hussain.
Silver Healthcare boss Roy Young with former Lord Mayor of Sheffield, Councillor Talib Hussain.

Roy - whose firm employs more than 60 staff in the city - added: “I’ve worked in care over three decades and the situation was already incredibly challenging.

“If any good comes out of the present situation it will be to realise the vital importance of care staff that do an amazing job for very little reward.”

The coronavirus crisis has already claimed eight lives in Sheffield and at least 240 people have tested positive.

The most at risk groups include older people and those with preexisting conditions.

In the UK, more than 500 people have already died from the disease and globally the death toll is over 20,000.

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