The Orders of St John Care Trust continues its commitment to pay all colleagues the real Living Wage

3917 hourly paid employees to benefit from £10.90 or above per hour
2146 hourly paid care colleagues to benefit from £11.07 or above per hour
Total investment of £6million for hourly paid employees

Leading not-for-profit care provider The Orders of St John Care Trust (OSJCT) will continue to pay the current real Living Wage from 1 April 2023, with all employees paid at an hourly rate of £10.90 or above, and all care colleagues being paid £11.07 or above per hour.

The decision represents a £6million annual incremental investment in its hourly paid employees, providing a generous increase on the charity’s real Living Wage pay rise in April last year, and demonstrating the care provider’s ongoing commitment to recognise and reward its workforce.

At a time of fierce competition across the care sector and other industries to attract the best possible recruits, it also signals to prospective employees how much the Trust values its workforce.

Dan Hayes, CEO of OSJCT, said: “We strive to provide the highest standard of care to each of our residents and tenants, and colleagues in our care homes are critical in delivering that service. This pay rise reflects the incredibly important work that they do.”

Hayes continues: “We know that our colleagues are also facing a tough time with the rising cost of living. We are doing everything we can to support them, and I’m pleased that we can continue to prioritise this significant investment in our people.

“We also know that it’s a tough job market, and we hope this boost in pay shows prospective employees just how much we value our workforce, and that social care can be a rewarding career choice.”

In addition to the pay boost, OSJCT supports its employees through a range of initiatives, including free access to counselling, financial and legal information via its Employee Assistance Programme and The Care Workers’ Charity, health and wellbeing support, and the Blue Light Card high street discount scheme.

Government investment in social care and its workforce has long been neglected, and OSJCT continues to actively advocate for long-term reform of the sector, including fair pay, directly with the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) and other key stakeholders.