Sonnet Care Homes pledges to pay care home workers above National Living Wage

Braintree based Sonnet Care Homes has announced its decision to increase rates of pay to a minimum of £7.25, ahead of the Government’s introduction of the National Living Wage of £7.20.

Staff at The New Deanery and St Mary’s Court residential care homes in Braintree will benefit from the increase, with effect from 1 November.

Chief executive Julia Clinton said: “We are determined to attract and retain the best possible teams to work in our care homes.

“Whilst our wages are already amongst the best in the area, we feel it is important to step up and acknowledge the National Living Wage now, rather than wait until April next year.”

The National Living Wage (NLW), which comes into force from 1 April 2016, has created anxiety in the care home sector, with the Joseph Rowntree Foundation in its latest report estimating that paying the NLW for low-paid care home workers will cost £387m per year.

The report found that care homes which have mainly self-funded residents will be most able to afford wage increases brought about by the NLW under their current funding structures.