Durham County Council are supporting care workers learn to drive

Home care workers in County Durham are being offered financial support to help them pass their driving test as part of a new local scheme.  

Durham County Council have introduced ‘Walkers to Drivers’ which aims to increase the number of care workers who are able to drive.  

The programme pays £15 towards the cost of each one-hour lesson and 50% off the first practical and theory tests taken.  

Donna Williams, who works for Comfort Call in Peterlee, was the first person to pass their test, due to putting her name down as soon as it became available.  

She said: ‘I absolutely love my job, but the amount of walking was quite tiring, especially in the bad weather and dark nights.

‘Without this scheme it would have taken me a lot longer to pass as I was able to take two lessons a week thanks to the money saved.’

Care homes in County Durham can put forward the details of staff who are currently unable to drive but would like to pass their test to help them with their care worker role.

Cllr Chris Hood, Cabinet member for Adult and Health Services said: ‘It is important we look for innovative ways to support our local care providers.’

‘The project will help providers by increasing their capacity to support more of our residents,’ Mr Hood says, ‘it also highlights our commitment to ensuring everyone in County Durham has access to the best possible care and we will continue to look for ways to support both providers and service users through the current pressures in the sector.

However, Florence, a tech platform that supports health workers, found 43% of workers are considering leaving the industry due to the current stresses on the sector.

Florence reported 17% of health care professionals feel burnt out daily and 28% admit to feeling overwhelmed at least once a week.

Visit here to read more about why healthcare professionals are deciding to boycott the industry. 

Photo by Jan Baborák