A NURSING home operator says the wages of its frontline staff will have risen 40 per cent in four years after its latest inflation-busting pay rise.

Hampshire-based Cornerstone Healthcare operates three specialist homes including Kitnocks House in Curdridge near Winchester.

Its homes cater for people with challenging behaviours associated with complex neurological and mental health needs.

The business, which has twice been named Complex Care Provider of the Year by HealthInvestors, has awarded an above-inflation pay rise for the fourth consecutive year.

Cornerstone chief executive Johann van Zyl said: “We are seeing how the current labour dispute between the NHS and their nurses is affecting people on all levels of society. As a care provider we have a tremendous responsibility to our residents and their families.

"We cannot afford that those people responsible for their wellbeing are underpaid and living in poverty. Nurses and healthcare assistants are playing a pivotal role in the country’s heath care system and it will be fatal for a business like ours to lose them.”

Cornerstone says the wages for frontline staff are in line with the best in the counties where it operates, as well as being more than the independently-set Real Living Wage.

Mr van Zyl added: “We are caring for very vulnerable people whose complex neurological and mental health diagnosis make them difficult to place elsewhere.

“There are only a small number of beds available for our resident type and it is important that our services are able to run at full capacity and well-staffed to support the bed blocking crisis in the NHS and other care homes that struggle to provide the complex level of care Cornerstone does.”

Health care assistants will earn a minimum of £11.90 an hour, with a nurse’s hourly rate starting at £23.25.

Mr van Zyl said: “Of course, it is not always easy for a small company like Cornerstone Healthcare to be at the top of the log with staff remuneration all the time. But like all care providers we are walking the tightrope. More than ever, we are fully aware that every penny counts as the cost-of-living difficulties show no signs of easing.

“As a responsible employer, we have no other option but to assist our staff where possible. Not everything is about salary increases though. Something as little as a subsidised cooked meal over lunchtime, or food vouchers could go a long way to assist employees.

“The staffing crisis in healthcare shall continue to deepen and the unprecedented strike action our NHS colleagues were forced take to receive a fair pay reward will happen again and again until government realised that the health and care sector need urgent financial support. Our staff cannot function on ‘passion for the job’ anymore.”