Specialist care provider Borough Care has become the country’s largest residential care provider to receive a real living wage accreditation from the Real Living Wage Foundation,.

Employees of the not-for-profit organisation receive a minimum hourly wage of £9.50, compared to the government minimum wage which currently stands at £8.91 per hour.

Borough Care has 12 residential homes in Stockport and Leek and employs over 600 members of staff.

Dr Mark Ward, CEO at Borough Care, said: “Everyone at Borough Care has worked towards this goal over several years: to give our whole team a fair day’s pay for a hard day’s work. I have personally never been prouder of any achievement in my career.

“Social care is widely undervalued and knowingly under-resourced by government at every level. It doesn’t have to be that way and I’m truly thrilled that we can play our small part in changing that narrative to give our staff a well-deserved fair wage.”