A CARE provider in Southampton is due to increase its travel time pay and mileage rates to help carers through the cost of living crisis. 

Not-for-profit care provider, SCA Care, made the announcement last week. 

It comes as it has also decided to increase all pay to help its workforce with inflation. 

Director of Integrated Services, Ricky Rossiter, said: “We’re acutely aware of the difficulties people are facing as prices continue to rise, therefore the board has agreed to increase travel time pay by 23% and mileage rates by 25%.

“In light of rising costs, we’ve also decided to pay all our carers more."

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From March 28 home care staff will be paid, a new basic rate of £10.90 per hour for 9am-5pm, £11.30 per hour for 7pm-9am and 5pm-10pm.

Anyone who is qualified will receive an extra 50p on these new rates too.

For weekends, SCA Care is increasing its basic rates of pay to £11.70 per hour and those who are qualified will now receive £12.20.

According to Indeed.com the average hourly rate for carers in Southampton is £10.55 per hour.

SCA Care says there has been a growing demand in Southampton for care services and although it’s well able to cope with the number of service users it already assists, it’s keen to provide the extra support needed. 

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It is now looking to recruit 50 new carers this spring.

Ricky added: “We take the welfare of our carers very seriously and are committed to helping them through the current issues we’re all facing financially, physically and emotionally post-pandemic and Brexit and with the ongoing war in Ukraine.

“As well as these pay rises, we offer our frontline carers free mental health and wellbeing support through our sister charity Options Wellbeing Trust, which has professional therapists and counsellors on its team who can help with a variety of life issues, including anxiety, trauma, stress, relationships and bereavement. We have trained Mental Health First Aiders and a dedicated, free-ranging Wellbeing Ambassador on our team too.”