Care badge is launched to celebrate care workers

The valuable work done by staff working in the care sector is being celebrated by a new CARE badge which has been launched today.

Care providers are being encouraged to buy the badges, which cost £1, for their employees, with the money raised going towards care-related causes.

Care England and everyLIFE Technologies, which are launching the badge at the Residential & Home Care Show at London’s ExCel, hope the initiative will promote awareness of care work and ensure care workers are valued and respected more.

Martin Green, chief executive of Care England said: "The CARE badge is an eye-catching and powerful symbol of pride in the quality of care so many deliver across the UK every day. I shall be wearing my CARE badge with pride and I sincerely hope all of you will get a CARE badge and raise the profile of care."

Over 34,000 CARE badges have already been sold and care home provider HC-One has ordered 14,500 CARE badges to recognise and celebrate their care workers.

The idea for the badge came earlier this year. While listening to Martin Green of Care England, draw attention to the message that the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care sends by only wearing an NHS lapel badge, the chairman of everyLIFE Technologies, Robin Batchelor, sitting in the audience, turned to his colleague and said: “We should work with Care England to change that”.

At the launch of the CARE badge, Robin Batchelor, chairman of everyLIFE Technologies said: “Two million professional carers and seven million more unpaid carers provide care for others each day, no matter if it’s a holiday for the rest of the population or if the weather is adverse and travel is difficult.

“Unfortunately, they often do so with minimal or no financial reward and without the public interest and support that other care professionals reasonably enjoy. We’re launching the CARE badge today to help everyone make sure that these care heroes don’t go unnoticed or underappreciated.”

Liz Jones, policy director of the National Care Forum, has joined the board of the CARE badge CIC. She said: The CARE badge is such a simple and inspiring idea – a great way to recognise and thank the millions of people involved in providing great quality care across the UK and a great way to help that huge community of people feel proud and valued. I am delighted to join the Board and am wearing my CARE badge with pride – I hope you will all get your orders in for the CARE badge and start wearing it to help us all raise the profile of care!”

For more information on the initiative or to order CARE badges visit www.thecarebadge.org.

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