The Orders of St John Care Trust (OSJCT) has renewed its commitment to paying the Real Living Wage.

From 1 April 2024 all OSJCT employees will be paid at an hourly rate of £12.00 or above, and all care employees will be paid an hourly rate of £12.17 or above.

Rachel Greenough, home manager at OSJCT Meadowcroft in Thame, Oxfordshire said: “Staff were absolutely over the moon when they found out they would continue to be paid the Real Living Wage. With the pandemic, then the cost-of-living crisis impacting those working in social care so significantly, I know staff really appreciate the pay increase and that it makes a real difference to them.”

Dan Hayes, chief executive of OSJCT, added: “As a large not-for-profit employer in the social care sector, we put people – not profit – at the heart of everything we do.  It is important to us morally, and economically, that we continue to prioritise this investment in our people. Social care is the backbone of society, requiring skill, dedication and utmost compassion, and our workforce deserves proper recognition and a fair rate of pay. 

“The Real Living Wage has also provided much needed stability to our workforce, by enabling us to remain competitive with other industries.

“However, our ability to pay the Real Living Wage is impacted by the rates that commissioners pay for care. This financial model is not currently sustainable and funding for the social care sector was glaringly absent from the Spring Budget. With expectations of a general election before the end of the year, on behalf of the sector we are calling on the new government for a cross-party solution to reform – that we have awaited for decades.”