Carers ready to hit back over Walsall Council pay plan

Several providers have said they may have to take on less work in Walsall, while there are also fears they will lose workers who can get a better deal in other parts of the Black Country.

Carers who support elderly and vulnerable people in their homes will now be paid by the minute under changes due to come in during August.

Walsall Council said the policy was included in the current contract with domiciliary care providers in the borough, though it has not previously been implemented.

Previously, carers who were with a patient on a home visit for at least 23 minutes would be paid for the full half hour.

Smaller providers who rely on care packages in Walsall face being hardest hit. Some say they are waiting hear back from solicitors about the best course of action to take.

The boss of one care provider said: "This is the worst things I've ever seen. Once they get that pay packet, after they have gone out and done the same shift as normal, there is going to be staff leaving left, right and centre. If you are taking a few quid off carers they are going to be gone.

"They will not get to Christmas before they reverse this. I have never seen providers come together like this. They are determined to take as few care packages as possible."

The company boss said he immediately contacted his solicitor but that he personally was not preparing to launch action as he could not afford to go to court. He said he had written to Walsall MP Valerie Vaz seeking support on the matter.

A senior figure at another large provider, which has contracts with local authorities across the region, said: "We will be taking less work - we already have. We have to ensure the business remains viable.

"Walsall are not communicating with us, they are not showing any interest in the concerns we are expressing to them. We just need to make sure what we deliver remains safe."

Walsall Council has said it is "not appropriate for providers to receive public funds for care that is not delivered, or for those vulnerable people who contribute to their care to pay for services they have not received".