Welsh social care staff to get £500 payment

All social care workers in Wales are to receive an extra payment of £500, the Welsh Government has announced.

The Welsh first minister Mark Drakeford the one-off payment be available to some 64,600 care home workers and domiciliary care workers throughout Wales.

Further details about the extra payment will be announced shortly.

The Welsh Government said it is working with local authorities, who commission social care services in Wales, and with trade unions and Care Forum Wales, to finalise details.

It comes after the Welsh Government has provided an initial £40m extra funding for adult social care services to help meet the extra costs associated with responding to the coronavirus pandemic.

The First Minister has also called on the UK Government not to tax the extra payment, enabling social care workers to keep the full amount.

The Welsh Government said it is also working with the Department for Work and Pensions to make sure it does not impact on people’s benefit entitlements.

‘Tens of thousands of people work in social care in Wales, looking after some of the most vulnerable people in our communities and are doing so with great dedication in often challenging circumstances,’ said Mr Drakeford.

‘They are undertaking tasks, which involve a high level of intimate personal care, often accepting a greater degree of risk and responsibility. Many of our social care workers are juggling their own personal caring responsibilities with their professional ones,’ he added.

‘I want our social care workforce know their hard work is both appreciated and recognised. This payment is designed to provide some further recognition of the value we attach to everything they are doing to – it recognises this group of people are providing the invisible scaffolding of services, which support both our NHS and our wider society.’

It follows the announcement of the death in service payment for the families of all NHS and social care staff made by Welsh health minister, Vaughan Gething last week.

This scheme will provide eligible beneficiaries with a one-off sum of £60,000 and will apply to those working in frontline roles and locations where personal care is provided to individuals who may have contracted coronavirus.

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