The Orders of St John Care Trust (OSJCT) has announced it will continue to pay the current real Living Wage, a voluntary, independently calculated wage rate based on the cost of living.  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.  OSJCT’s commitment sends a strong signal about the value it places on its workforce. 

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.” Rachel continued: “Paying the real Living Wage also helps with recruitment, particularly among young people as the rate is more competitive than the national minimum wage for 18 to 20-year-olds.”

Dan Hayes, CEO 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.”

OSJCT was among the first care providers to pay the real Living Wage, and the charity’s decision to renew its commitment for the third year running represents a £9.8million annual incremental investment in hourly paid employees. 

In addition to the pay boost, OSJCT offers a competitive package of benefits, including training and development opportunities via the Trust’s specially-designed Leadership Academy as well as apprenticeships, pay enhancements for Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF) qualifications, enhanced weekend rates of pay, and service-related annual leave increases.  Employees also receive free parking, uniforms and DBS checks, as well as free access to counselling, financial and legal information via the Employee Assistance Programme and The Care Workers’ Charity, as well as high street discounts via the Blue Light Card and MyReward schemes.