Question over money for Carer sleep in

[drivin_me_nuts]

I have a friend who is a carer who occasionally works nights. For approximately a 12 hour shift she will get paid the sum of £30. To me this seems very low considering the minimum wage requirements.

Is this actually legal (as in minimum wage) to offer such a small amount of money for the service provided or is this industry some kind of exception to the rule?

[davepoth]

The phrase "Sleep in" suggests that she is spending at least some of that shift asleep?

[drivin_me_nuts]

Yes, there is a bed available or the sofa and blankets.

[hedgefinder]

if she sleeps with him its actually very very cheap..

[Stedman]

Yeap legal. My sleep in pay recently got cut from £40 to £30, the bds.

But then I do always sleep, never get woken and as stated, PAID TO SLEEP

[iphonedyou]

That's grim. What if care is required virtually all night?

£30 is hardly acceptable.

[Stedman]

iphonedyou said:

That's grim. What if care is required virtually all night?

£30 is hardly acceptable.

Then you go home in the morning with the legal amount of time off before you come back on shift.

There also should be some recompense for it.

[iphonedyou]

Stedman said:

Then you go home in the morning with the legal amount of time off before you come back on shift.

There also should be some recompense for it.

Well yes, I realise that's what happens. The question was meant to intimate that the ability to potentially sleep through some of the shift hardly excuses the low pay in the event you're awake all night actually caring, though

Edited by iphonedyou on Sunday 26th August 16:18

[egor110]

If all your getting is £30 surely it's never worth it due to travel/petrol costs?

[Stedman]

iphonedyou said:

Well yes, I realise that's what happens. The question was meant to intimate that the ability to potentially sleep through some of the shift hardly excuses the low pay in the event you're awake all night actually caring, though

Edited by iphonedyou on Sunday 26th August 16:18

But you wont get the £30 if you have to be awake all night caring.

[iphonedyou]

I must have missed something. If you're up all night, you get paid nothing. And if you sleep, you get paid £30? How do they know whether you've slept or not? Why do you get paid more for sleeping? Why do you not get paid for working?

[northandy]

I think stedman means if the person is up all night caring, then normal hourly rate shoud apply

[drivin_me_nuts]

My friend gets 30 regardless of no work or a full 12 hours if caring. Rough with the smooth I guess.

[Sheets Tabuer]

Is that on top of an hourly rate?

[Mobile Chicane]

Is this through an 'agency'?

Bet they're charging the Client / local health authority £90.

(If not more.)

[Deva Link]

Stedman said:

Yeap legal. My sleep in pay recently got cut from £40 to £30, the bds.

But then I do always sleep, never get woken and as stated, PAID TO SLEEP

I don't get that - are you being paid anyway (perhaps by salary, regardless of how much you work) and the £30 is an extra allowance for sleeping in?

You surely don't stay away from home overnight for £30?

[Sheets Tabuer]

Mobile Chicane said:

Is this through an 'agency'?

Bet they're charging the Client / local health authority £90.

(If not more.)

Agreed, one of the reasons I gave up work to look after my son was the care quotes we got were a small fortune.

[Deva Link]

drivin_me_nuts said:

My friend gets 30 regardless of no work or a full 12 hours if caring. Rough with the smooth I guess.

As you suggest in your OP, that's surely got to breach the minimum wage regs.

It might also breach the working time directive too.

[Countdown]

For certain types of work such as this minimum wage is calculated differently. It can vary from employer to employer but, basically, it is assumed that you are NOT working for a big chunk of the shift. The amount of waking time required depends on the type of client; residential care may not require lots of work at night. OTOH Bail Hostels might need two staff awake all night.

OP - IME £30 is the average sleep in payment in the care industry. The employer will argue that the amount of work all balances out in the end.

[Deva Link]

Countdown said:

For certain types of work such as this minimum wage is calculated differently. It can vary from employer to employer but, basically, it is assumed that you are NOT working for a big chunk of the shift. The amount of waking time required depends on the type of client; residential care may not require lots of work at night. OTOH Bail Hostels might need two staff awake all night.

OP - IME £30 is the average sleep in payment in the care industry. The employer will argue that the amount of work all balances out in the end.

Hmmm...in the 12hr shift the OP mentions there would likely be some hours of actual work, and they should be paid at normal rates. The non-working time can be paid less but overall £30 for 12 hours seems unfeasibly low.