St Cuthbert's Care becomes Living Wage employer
The photo shows St Cuthbert's Care Chief Executive, Moira Ashman (front centre) with nursing home residents Dorothy Barrow (left) and Rose Elliott (right) and Carers (back row L-R) Ginse Xavier, Kamila Ball-Kiklowicz and Jodie Finnigan.
Regional charity, St Cuthbert's Care, becomes Living Wage Employer
St Cuthbert's Care has become the first regional charity of its kind in the North East to become an accredited Living Wage employer with the Living Wage Foundation.
By committing to become an accredited Living Wage employer, the charity has pledged to meet the Foundation's independently calculated assessment of a fair wage, paying a minimum of £8.45 per hour for all employees over the age of 18. St Cuthbert’s Care’s lowest hourly wage rate, effective from 1 April 2017, is £8.50, regardless of age.
St Cuthbert's Care has 370 employees and 30 volunteers, and its core registered services comprise four children’s homes, two nursing homes and a range of provision for disabled children and adults. In addition, the charity provides support across its regional communities.
St Cuthbert's Care Chief Executive, Moira Ashman said, "I am thrilled that we are now an accredited Living Wage employer. As a faith-based charity, becoming a Living Wage employer was central to our Purpose and values. As such, this aim became our charity’s primary objective, with our longer-term planning, strategies and annual budget discussions all being predicated upon this intention.
“As a regional charity this really is a tremendous achievement for us. We faced many challenges and difficult decisions along the way but our determination kept us focused. Under-funding in adult social care is much documented and it was this under-funding in this sector of care that became our sole barrier. I believe our diversity of provision and prudent stewardship contributed to us achieving our objective two years ahead of our planned schedule.”
As well as achieving a first in the region, St Cuthbert's Care will be one of only 26 charitable social care organisations in the UK to become a real Living Wage Employer.
Living Wage Foundation Director, Katherine Chapman said: “We are delighted to welcome St Cuthbert's Care to the Living Wage movement and congratulate them on becoming an accredited Living Wage Employer. St Cuthbert's Care is the first regional charity in the North East, delivering adult social care as part of their work, to achieve this status."