The quest for carers

Earlier this year, Right at Home Havant and Petersfield’s own Duncan Cameron discussed this issue on Petersfield’s Shine Radio. During the interview, he explained that domiciliary CareGivers rely on their cars to travel between Clients’ houses. The rise in insurance costs – which can range from 20% to 50% – is proving financially difficult, forcing some CareGivers to leave the professional altogether.

For a sector that is already facing a shortage of workers, this additional hurdle seems one step too far. Right at Home franchises around the country have joined forces to raise awareness and lobby their local MPs on behalf of their CareGivers and Clients to call for intervention with insurers, asking for a ‘key worker’ concession when it comes to business rates for car insurance.

With a shortage of applicants, finding qualified and devoted CareGivers is already a challenge amidst the cost of living crisis. Some are leaving the profession altogether, while others – forced to abandon their cars – are having to revise their roles and change their schedules.

One CareGivers story

This has been the case for a devoted CareGiver on our team. She is in her early 40s has two grown-up children and worked with us for about five years. As Duncan explained during his radio interview, the nearly 50% rise in her car insurance rates this year means she can no longer afford to do the job she loves – providing daily domiciliary care for her Clients in the wider community.

Luckily, we’ve been able to keep she on our team and shifted her role to overnight care as her husband can drop her off in the evenings and pick her up the next morning – but this is not an ideal long-term solution.

To attract new CareGivers, take care of our Clients, serve our communities and allow valued team members to thrive, we need to affect change.

You can listen to Duncan’s Shine Radio interview here – and do get in touch if you’d like a copy of Right at Home’s letter template to modify and send to your local Government.