Norman Lamb MP

Minister of State for Care and Support
Department of Health
Richmond House
79 Whitehall

London SW1A 2NS

Date: June 7th 2013 

Dear Norman,

I am writing to you to draw your attention to the situation of domestic care workers, who currently suffer from a lack of recognition for the vital work they perform in communities around the UK, in addition to low pay and the insecurity of zero-hours employment contracts.

My constituents have written to me to express their concern about the working conditions of home care workers. As you will know, these carers are amongst the lowest paid workers in the UK, with 9% earning below minimum wage as of 2010.[1] Moreover, domestic care workers are often not paid for their travel time, and are forced to cram too many appointments into their day - leaving them unable to provide the highest standard of care unless they work additional unpaid hours. This has knock on effects for clients, who are losing out too, including a lack of continuity for those receiving care.

Research carried out by Unison suggests that these problems are caused by a lack of regulation and a focus on cost-cutting[2], rather than raising standards of care or ensuring decent employment conditions. The research also notes that home care workers usually work alone, which makes it more difficult for them to organise to improve their working conditions.  A number of solutions have been proposed to improve the poor working conditions of domestic care workers and the quality of care they are able to provide. These include introducing the living wage for domestic care workers, paid travel time and the registration of domestic care workers.

I would appreciate it if you could tell me what, if any, action the Department of Health is planning in order to improve the working conditions of domestic care workers. I would also be grateful if you could inform me how the Department intends to address the issue of below-minimum wages and poverty pay for domestic carers, and the Government’s position on regulation of the sector. I look forward to receiving your reply

Yours sincerely,

Caroline Lucas, MP, Brighton Pavilion