We clapped for carers once – now they are being forced to choose between food and fuel

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Homecare workers up and down the country are being asked to bear the burden of the rising fuel prices (Getty)

The cost of living crisis affects us all. We see it in rising energy bills, the increasing cost of our weekly shop, and in soaring fuel prices. But there are few who will feel this perfect storm of spiralling costs more than our homecare workers – who literally travel the extra mile to deliver care to some of the most vulnerable people in society.

According to the Homecare Association, homecare workers drive a collective 4 million miles every day to provide vital care to people across the UK. Without these essential journeys, thousands of people would stop receiving the specialist support they need to live with safety and independence in their own homes. Many would be forced to turn to care homes, increasing costs for them, their loved ones and taxpayers, and people’s health and wellbeing would ultimately suffer.

As a care provider, we can only do so much to alleviate this burden on homecare staff. At Right at Home UK, for example, we offer a living wage well above the market rate but, like all other care providers, are faced with increased financial pressures due to the well reported policy failures from successive governments – not least leaving the sector with significant workforce capacity constraints.