There seems to be a lot of confusion about whether agencies are going to be paying carers for work during Storm Emma. Indeed some agencies seem to be side stepping the issue or blaming the HSE for inaction.
Our sister company Home Care Plus has confirmed that they will ensure that there will be no loss of earnings for any of their carers during Storm Emma because of their inability to get into work. This is independent of whether the HSE step up to the plate or not.
It will cost Home Care Plus a significant amount of money but it is the right thing to do.
It’s nice that some agencies are expressing gratitude for the work their carers carried out during the storm, however this sounds very hollow if these same agencies aren’t even giving carers clarity on their wages for the period of the storm.
Gratitude doesn’t put food on the table!
Agencies or their representative body, Home and Community Care Ireland (HCCI), need to come out and clarify this deplorable situation. Carers deserve so much more.
It is this type of treatment from some agencies, that justifies the setting up of Home Care Direct as it gives carers the option to lessen their dependency of working with agencies and the ability to take back control into their own hands.