Open letter to Andy Burnham PM, July 2026

Homecare Voices' letter to Andy Burnham sent July 2026:

Dear Andy,

We’re getting in touch from Homecare Voices, a not-for-profit network of current and former domiciliary care workers throughout the UK.

We were all moved by your words about care workers this week. To hear these heartfelt sentiments shared so publicly by a Prime Minister within days of taking office marks, we sincerely hope - as we're sure you do, too - a watershed moment for adult social care.

As much as anyone we understand the extent of the challenge at hand and the need to find public consensus for a different model of funding. We have everything crossed that the Big Conversation succeeds in achieving widespread engagement with members of the public.

We are excited about the promise of a Fair Pay Agreement although concerned that the funding committed by the government may not be sufficient. We also know from the New Zealand example that it may not even be possible for an agreement to be reached.

That's why we continue to focus on the need to improve enforcement of existing employment rights for domiciliary care workers. These improvements can happen now.

Our recent Behind Closed Doors survey of over 500 homecare workers found that 72% were paid for contact time only, just 37% were paid for all of their training time, and only 29% were paid the full approved mileage rate. These factors combine to expose workers to a very real risk of National Minimum Wage underpayment. Meanwhile, only 13% of more than 500 respondents reported receiving the legal minimum of 11 consecutive hours' rest between one working day and the next. 

This piece of work was entirely unfunded and so much of what we do as a network is voluntary. We are used to doing a lot of unpaid work in our care roles, so to invest this energy into Homecare Voices comes naturally.

To re-iterate, we are so glad that out of every politician who might have become Prime Minister, it is someone with such a thorough and long history of wishing to take action on social care. We are also delighted that Angela Rayner is back in cabinet, a former homecare worker herself.

You're one of the busiest people in the world, but please let us know if there's ever room in your diary to meet some of us and talk more about what steps could be taken to improve the lives of homecare workers straight away, in line with existing employment law. The impact on quality of care, recruitment and retention would be transformational. There is almost certainly an economic case here, too, and this is something we're hoping to establish more detail on in due course.

We wish you every success as Prime Minister and hope Homecare Voices can play a constructive role in supporting the changes to be made in social care, building on our existing relationships with the Department of Health & Social Care and the Casey Commission.

All the best,

Rachel, X, X, X, X, X, X, X, X, X, X, X, X, X, X [names redacted for confidentiality]

Members of Homecare Voices