Aldi not oldie. It’s a phrase that neatly sums up the problem of low pay in the social care sector in general and homecare in particular.

In a buoyant employment market, retailers like Aldi are now paying up to £10.15 an hour to their store assistants. And while shop work is undeniably hard work, it’s an easier way to earn a living than as a homecare worker – and financially advantageous too. Because right now, in some parts of the country you will be paid as little as £7.55 an hour as a homecare worker, just 5p above the national living wage.