Ideal Carehomes Announces Record Pay Rise of 8.5% for all Hourly Paid Staff

Award-winning care provider, Ideal Carehomes, is investing another £2.5 million per annum to increase the wages of its staff. This will mark Ideal Carehomes’ fourth wage increase in two years, a total investment of over £6 million which has added 20% to the care teams’ salaries and cemented the company as one of the top paying care providers in the UK.

The latest rise, which comes into effect in April, will see all hourly paid care team members receive a minimum increase of 8.5%, the biggest single investment in pay so far by Ideal Carehomes.

Currently employing over 1700 people in care homes across the country, hourly rates will start at £10.90 per hour in line with the Real Living Wage and far exceeding the National Minimum Wage.

Stacey Linn, the Managing Director at Ideal Carehomes, said,

‘With the cost of living remaining a constant worry, we feel it is imperative that we make these vital investments to support our staff. We are a people business, and nothing is more important to us than making sure our people feel secure and valued in their career with us.

‘Over the past year alone, we’ve grown our teams by 27% and opened six brand-new care homes, with plans to open three more by the end of 2024. Our growth is providing our current and future teams with the rewarding careers they deserve through real time opportunities to grow with us and in turn, further strengthening their earning potential.’

Ideal Carehomes’ care and domestic assistants will now start on a minimum salary of £23,805 per annum, and with progression through the Ideal Academy, their award-winning in-house training scheme, could be earning over £30,000 per annum within a couple of years.

In addition to its most recent wage increase and comprehensive training initiatives, Ideal Carehomes offers team members wider support and benefits such as a Wellbeing Pathway, which saw the company shortlisted in the Best Employee Wellbeing Strategy category at the Engage Awards 2022.

Stacey continued,

‘As a business we have bounced back and are trading again at pre-pandemic occupancy levels, and this has allowed us to further invest in our people who make it all happen.

‘Recruitment in our sector is a challenge but we are proud to offer some of the best training and pay rates which enables us to attract and retain the best staff.

‘The latest pay rise is a necessity in the current financial climate with the increased cost of living, not only to give staff peace of mind, but also to ensure that they are rightfully rewarded for the important and dedicated work that they do.’

Ideal Carehomes provides 24 hour residential and dementia care, with an all-inclusive fee, in state-of-the-art homes across the country. They were announced as winners of the Large Residential Care category in the LaingBuisson Awards 2022 and have been named a Top 20 Care Home Group by carehome.co.uk for the third year running.

To find out more, visit idealcarehomes.co.uk, call 0113 465 4000 or email hello@idealcarehomes.co.uk.