After watching Help people are calling for care home workers to get a pay rise

Viewers of Channel 4 film Help have been calling for care home workers to get a pay rise after being moved by the harrowing scenes involving the Covid-19 pandemic.

Written by Jack Thorne, Help tells the tale of Sarah, played by Comer, a newly appointed carer who strives to protect her patients in a fictional Liverpool care home throughout the 2020 lockdowns. Graham plays one of the care home’s residents who is suffering from early onset Alzheimer’s.

However, when the pandemic hits and staff members fall ill from the virus, Sarah finds herself running the care home alone during a night shift, dangerously low on PPE and desperate to save the lives of her residents, some of whom are struggling from the symptoms of Covid.

Channel 4

Since airing last week, both Comer and Graham have received acclaim among viewers for the roles they played in the story, with many hailing them as worthy of winning ‘all the awards’.

But as well as that, fans of the film have been left astounded at how hard care home workers across the country worked throughout the pandemic, with many now calling for them to receive much-deserved pay rises.

One person wrote: “Incredibly powerful performances from Jodie Comer, Stephen Graham and all cast in #Help. Found it triggering to watch remembering the desperate situation of last year. Can’t imagine how much care home staff must still be traumatised. They deserve a pay rise and so much more respect.”

Another commented: “Started watching Help on 4OD earlier. It’s an incredibly dramatic watch. Blown away by the acting and directing of the film. So powerful and demonstrates how poorly letdown care homes were. And how hard working carers are. Let’s have a pay rise care workers!”

Last year, The Guardian found that three-quarters of England’s care home staff earned below the ‘real’ living wage, which experts say is the bare minimum to allow families basics such as a secondhand car and a week’s annual UK self-catering holiday. 

Laura Gardiner, the director of the Living Wage Foundation, told the publication: “They’ve put their lives on the line caring for others during this pandemic, so it’s essential we ensure they earn enough to look after their own families.

“The real living wage is the only UK wage rate based on what it costs to live. It ensures workers and their families can meet everyday needs – things like a surprise dentist trip and a new school uniform for growing kids.”