Senior care workers Pay Data UK — 2025

Senior care workers roles in the UK earn a median of £30,500 per year, equivalent to £14.88 per hour as of 2025. Pay increased 10.3% compared to the previous year. Regionally, pay ranges from £28,000 in East Midlands to £31,000 in South East. Pay has risen over the past 4 years. The ONS national median for this occupation is £29,381/yr (4% above our computed national average).

Labour Market

Employment figures from ONS Annual Population Survey (APS). Counts are estimates; suppressed cells (small samples) are excluded from totals.

Pay by Region

Annual pay for Senior care workers across UK regions. The bar shows the typical pay range (25th–75th percentile); the diamond marks the median.

Source: ONS ASHE. Based on broad UK regions (NUTS1).

How Pay Has Changed Over Time

Annual pay grew by +10.3% from 2024 to 2025.

National average (NUTS1 actuals) based on ONS ASHE April snapshot. Shaded band shows 25th–75th percentile range.

Year-on-Year Pay Change

Annual percentage change in median pay for Senior care workers.

Percentage change from the prior year's April figure.

About Senior care workers

Senior care workers routinely oversee and monitor care workers, care assistants and home carers. They also attend to the personal needs and comforts of children, the elderly and the infirm and others with care and support needs (‘service users’) within residential care establishments, day care establishments or in their own homes.

Typical Tasks and Duties

• routinely oversees and monitors care workers and home carers
• takes responsibility for the shift and for the service while on duty
• responds to emergencies and provides guidance and support to care workers
• assists and enables service users to dress, undress, wash, use the toilet and bathe
• serves meals to service users at table or in bed, assists with feeding if required
• assists with service users’ overall comfort and wellbeing
• provides interest and activities to stimulate and engage the service user
• helps with daily activities such as letter writing, paying bills, collecting benefits
• undertakes light cleaning and domestic duties including meal preparation as required
• monitors service users’ conditions by taking temperature, pulse, respiration and weight, and contributes to record keeping
• liaises with professional staff in carrying out care plans etc

Entry Routes and Qualifications

There are no formal academic entry requirements. In most cases workers will be required to register with the appropriate statutory body which involves satisfying the registration criteria. This would normally include holding or working towards the appropriate qualification for the job. A wide range of qualifications including NVQs/SVQs covering various aspects of care are available. Senior care workers must be qualified to an appropriate level (usually NVQ level 3). They often have a background in social care and have achieved a qualification in this area some may have nursing qualifications. Background checks including a DBS check are likely to be required.

Related Occupations

Salary data is sourced from official UK pay datasets and updated periodically.