Your post describing the care your mother received made my blood run cold. I am a nurse by profession and have worked as a carer as well and you are absolutely right in that it is not a low-skilled job. It seems too often now that management seem to have forgotten the 'care' part of the job description 'carer' and it really does make my blood boil when I hear of people being abused, even if simply by carers not doing their jobs properly. I don't think pay is so much the issue as anyone going into caring or nursing doesn't do it for the money (or if they do then they shouldn't be in the job in the first place) but more careful screening needs to be done with all applicants. All care agencies (within the UK), whether it be the NHS, private nursing agencies, Social Services etc. etc. are now required by law to do a CRB check to see if prospective staff have any kind of criminal record. And as a minimum, all staff should have at least an NVQ2 qualification. The problem with this is that the NVQ is not an entry requirement, it can be taken whilst 'on the job' and it can be 'fudged' to an extent. I have an acquaintance who, knowing that I have NVQ 2, 3 and 4 actually asked to borrow my work so that she could copy it! Needless to say I refused. As a post script, this is a subject even closer to my heart as I have MS and have recently been retired on health grounds at age 42. I hope my health doesn't deteriorate to the degree that it did with some of my ex-patients but what if.......