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Ancillary staff working in care homes in Wales, as well as agency nursing staff, will receive a £500 bonus payment to reward them for their hard work during the Covid-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic.

Domestic cleaners and kitchen staff, as well as agency nurses employed in care home, home care workers and personal assistants, who worked from 15 March 2020 to 31 May 2020, are all eligible to receive the reward payment.

Social care workers who are currently on a permanent contract, have already received the bonus as part of the government's £40 million plan to provide extra funding to support social care services.

Mark Drakeford, first minister of Wales, said: "Social care is the invisible scaffolding that holds our society together. We know that without the vital care that this small army of people working in our homes and care homes provides, the NHS would not be able to cope, and that there are a great many people who would be unable to live independently.

"This payment recognises the tremendous commitment of the tens of thousands of social care workers across Wales who care for some of the most vulnerable people in our communities.

"It is right to give this payment to those who help care for residents of care homes. As well as the important work that social care staff do in people's homes and care homes, we know that domestic and kitchen staff go beyond their usual requirements, providing care and friendship to residents during this pandemic."