Barnet UNISON is in negotiations with The Barnet Group (TBG) about improving Pay and Terms and Conditions of our members.

One of our members, a care worker put together a list of work she does each day.

The list is enormous but it’s a critical service. The impact on the quality of life of residents is determined by the skill and professionalism of the care worker.

Whilst politicians will queue up to say that care workers are central to the delivery of care in the community they still refuse to commit to dealing with the ‘elephant in the room’ which is Pay.

Care workers have been subjected to outsourcing which has seen the pay and terms and conditions sink.

Considering the care work workforce is largely female it could be said that  outsourcing of care work is an example of institutional misogyny within procurement and commissioning of care services.

Look at this list of tasks and ask yourself whether you think that care workers should be paid more.

As a Carers we do:

1. Personal care
2. Make bed and tidy up bathrooms and rooms.
3. Put water in the jug.
4. Give bedtime tea.
5. Serve tea after personal care.
6. Take all clothes, bed linens, towels to laundry to wash.
7. Assist residents to go to the dining area.
8. Support residents to walk with jimo frames. or in a wheelchair.
9. Assist residents to sit on the chair.
10. Serve breakfast and prepare tea and toast.
11. Assist residents to go the toilet.
12. Assist residents as required.
13. Assist residents to go to the lounge or in their room.
14. Make sure they have everything as needed.
15. Take Covid Temperature and record.
16. Clear dining area and set up for lunch time.
17. Wash all dishes and serving pots and pans.
18. Clear and sweeping floors.
19. Medication administered.
20. Assist and respond when is needed.
21. Do daily logbook and record.
22. Served 11 am tea or juices choices if residents.
23. Change bed linen.
24. Dealt with residents as different needs.
25. Escort residents to their hospital appointment.
26. Take samples of residents to GP.
27. Support residents with hearing aids, glasses, dentures.
28. Weigh residents regularly.
29. Take BP regularly.
30. Admin work monthly based filing all documents.
31. Everyday take fridges temperatures and food temperatures.
32. Daily logging and administration medication.
33. Assist residents to go to toilet before lunch.
34. Assists residents to sit on their chair to eat lunch.
35. Bring food trolly from kitchen to dining area.
36. Get ready to serve lunch.
37. Served lunch and dealt with individual’s needs.
38. Again scraped all dishes and take to the small kitchen to wash.
39. Clear, sweep, collect and wash.
40. Support and assist residents needs to go toilet, lounge, in their room.
41. Empty bin and take to waste bin outside.
42. Do daily logging book.
43. Laundry to put way and hang in the wardrobe in the resident’s room.
44. Teatime 3pm prepare tea and served tea and coffee and cakes.
45. Take Covid Temperature.
46. Do Menu for next lunch and supper ask individual what they would like to eat and explained to residents what is in the menu.
47. Do shopping list for next day.
48. Collect all cups and plates and wash them.
49. Set up tables for suppers.
50. Do daily logbook.
51. Administration medications.
52. We do behaviour chats, fluids records, bowels records, oral care records everyday morning and evening.
53. Serve suppers bring trolly to the dining area.
54. Do personal and oral care individuals.
55. Scraped dishes and wash and clear dining area.
56. After all personal care done take clothes and towels into laundry room and put them in the washing machines and clean kitchen.
57. Medication administered.
58. Serve bedtime’s tea.
59. Put residents in beds.
60. Empty dishwasher and put cutlery way.
61. Collect all cups and mugs and put in washing.
62. Do daily logbook.
63. Check resident before finish shifts and handover.
64. Go home.

64 reasons why £11.95 (London Living Wage) is not enough Pay for care workers.

End.