A new report by the Fabian Society describes the ‘low pay and poor conditions' of England's 1.6 million social care workers as a ‘national scandal'.

Seizing the Opportunity: The Fair Pay Agreement in Social Care calls for the introduction of a higher minimum wage set at a rate equivalent to healthcare assistants in the NHS (£13.17/hr), which would cost £1.5bn.

Announcing its support for the report's recommendations, Unison estimated the cash injection would deliver a pay rise for more than 600,000 care staff.

Christina McAnea, Unison general secretary, said: ‘Raising wages in care is the first step to turning around this beleaguered sector.'

‘For too long, governments have got away with funding care on the cheap. This has helped create the current crisis, which is harming the NHS, failing the people who need care and leaving many families struggling to cope,' she added.