CARE workers looking after vulnerable people in York should get better terms and conditions and shouldn’t have to rush between clients, after a decision taken by senior councillors this week.

The city council has signed up to the first two stages of Unison’s Ethical Care Charter, in a move that executives said will help make sure vulnerable people get good quality care and support.

The charter sets out standards for the length of visits for people being cared for at home - making sure that home carers don’t have to rush their work to get to the next client.

It says that 15 minute visits shouldn’t be used, that workers should be paid for their travel time, and that people should see the same care worker as much as possible.

The Conservative and Liberal Democrat councillors running the council held back from signing up to the third stage of the charter - something that attracted criticism from Labour councillors and Unison.

The third stage would have brought in better sick pay for staff, and Labour group leader Janet Looker said: “We talk about an ambition of a prosperous city for all, and our workers should be part of that.

“It seems to me that when you have a job you shouldn’t have to feel you are going to miss income if you are sick.”

She also said the council needed to keep pushing towards the final stage of the charter.

The Unison representative Andrea Dudding had told the meeting she welcomed the overall commitment as a “step in the right direction”.

She added: “Let’s not forget though that these are minimum standards.

“I find if simply astonishing that employers still think for example that occupational sick pay is a cost too far.”

Documents prepared for the meeting show that around a third of the companies the city council uses for home care only offer their staff zero hours contracts, even though the charter the council has accepted says those contracts shouldn’t be used in place of permanent contracts.

Opposition councillors asked how that can be achieved, when the council relies on independent companies for care services.

Cllr Andy D’Agorne said: “If we are dependent on independent providers, it will be increasingly difficult if we accept they are offering zero hours contracts.

“Where we have better providers that pay a decent wage we ought to be highlighting that to others.”

Cllr Carol Runciman, who is responsible for adult social care, said she could see the complications the final part of the charter could bring, but said that it would be investigated with another report being planned.