Thousands of carers are earning below the national living wage, a new report has found.
The paper by the Department of Health Advisory Group found thousands of not-for-profit and for-profit carers are paying their own travel expenses, as they drive from one client to the next.
This stark report into the treatment of carers recommends increasing the entry level pay for carers to at least 12.90 per hour.
It says carers are suffering due to a lack of entitlement to sick pay, the minimal provision of paid annual leave and the lack of contributory pension schemes for non-HSE workers.
It wants to see the travel expenses and the time spent between service-users' homes to be covered for all carers, as many non-HSE workers find themselves footing the bill.
The report highlights the recruitment issues facing the sector, with more that two in five carers over the age of 55.
Retention is also a problem, with poor pay, incidents of abuse and low morale all cited as issues facing workers.
