AN ALLOA-BASED charity has announced it will invest £4million into colleague pay in a bid to give 5000 of its frontline support workers the real living wage.

Community Integrated Care revealed they will pay the voluntary real living wage as recommended by the Living Wage Foundation.

Jim Kane, chief executive officer at Community Integrated Care, said: “Our people are our priority – and this £4m investment represents a really bold and ambitious move for Community Integrated Care.

“It is a statement to our entire workforce of how much we value and appreciate everything they do, and the incredible impact that they have on the lives of the people we support.

“However, this investment is certainly a leap of faith for our charity... we understand why for many other social care providers, [this] is an impossibility.

“Ultimately, until central government takes action and provides better financial support to local authorities, the sector faces a constant battle to pay its workforce what they deserve.

“As a charity, we will continue to lobby decision-makers until our messages are heard loud and clear and sector-wide changes are made to ensure a sustainable and robust social care system for all.”

In addition to the pay rise, the charity provides its employees with bespoke packages, including access to a free employee assistance programme, tailored wellbeing support and money-saving subscriptions.

Community Integrated Care has also announced there will be equivalent wage uplifts for the charity’s advanced support worker roles and nurses.

Teresa Exelby, chief people officer at Community Integrated Care, added: “In our second installment of Unfair to Care, published late last year, we presented evidence that people working in the care sector should be paid better for the work they do.

“We hope that this £4m investment will make life a little bit easier for our teams during these challenging times.”