Appeal court rules flat rate for sleep-in care workers is fair

Employers welcomed the ruling, saying the back-pay liability, collectively estimated at about £400m, would have bankrupted many providers. But they called on the government to issue new guidance on how workers are to be paid for sleep-in shifts, and properly fund the costs.

Local authorities – which fund the cost of sleep-in shifts through their adult social care budgets – were relieved by the ruling, though they said clarity was needed over future costs. Councils in England face an estimated £2bn funding gap in adult social care. More