Teresa is urging people who work as, or who have worked as, care workers with elderly and disabled people, to share their experiences by completing her care worker survey before the new deadline of 5pm on Friday 31st January 2014.
The objective of Teresa’s survey, launched in December this year, is to gain a better understanding of the working conditions of care workers, and to determine how these can be improved, for the benefit of both care workers and their clients. Questions focus on employment rights, support networks, salary, and personal views.
The survey is aimed at members of Teresa’s constituency who work as care workers, and care workers who may live outside the constituency, but who provide support to residents in Teresa’s constituency. However, the thoughts and opinions of anyone willing to share will be most welcome
Respondents can remain anonymous if they wish, and all personal details will be treated as strictly confidential. The survey can be completed online but, if a paper copy is preferable, these can be obtained by either calling, or sending an email to, Teresa’s office. Please remember to put ‘Hardcopy Survey’ in the subject line of the email.
The survey will now remain open until 5pm on Friday 31st January 2014. Teresa is aiming to publish the results of the survey to coincide with Dignity Action Day on Saturday 1st February 2014.
Teresa said:
“Care workers provide invaluable support to elderly and disabled people, making them feel comfortable in their own homes. Given that our population is aging, and that we are living longer than ever before, it is clear that more and more people are going to need the assistance of homecare services in the future.
At the moment, many care workers are not being given the recognition that they deserve. This is why I launched this care worker survey, to learn more about the experiences of my constituents, who work as care workers, and also the experiences of care workers who work in my constituency.
Zero hour contracts, wages below the National Minimum Wage, the lack of basic employment rights, and poor working conditions, are not acceptable, and I want to learn as much about these issues as possible so that I can gain a better understanding of the extent of the problem across Erith & Thamesmead and beyond. I have decided to extend the deadline for the completion of the survey to give people as much time as possible to share their experiences with me.
Care workers should be valued and supported. It is vital that they feel secure so that they can provide the best, consistent possible service to the vulnerable people they assist. I would urge anyone who works, or who has worked, as a care worker to complete this survey and to share their views as soon as possible. If you know of anyone who works as a care worker, please draw their attention to my survey as their opinions will be very much appreciated.”
