Ministers should consider the use of automatic pay calculators to ensure care workers are paid decent living wages to help boost the prestige and professionalism within the sector, experts have advised.

The call follows complaints by trade unions and former care ministers that the establishment of the minimum wage as standard in the sector are proving detrimental to care quality.

Last week Unison issued a report which calculated 90% of local authorities do not require care providers to pay staff for travelling time, despite it comprising up to a third of their working day.