Tracy worked two minimum wage jobs in order to support her three children (ages 18, 16, and 8 at the time).

It took 4 weeks for her to recover from her eye surgery. This required bed rest and being unable to raise her head for more than a few minutes every day.  For over a month, she was unable to drive, lift heavy objects, etc., making it impossible for her to return to work.

Because Tracy did not qualify for statutory sick pay at either job, she was left without a source of income during this time and was therefore unable to support her family.

At the moment Statutory Sick Pay in the UK is £109.40 per week for up to 28 weeks. The Office of National Statistics found that family households spend roughly £587.90 per week. This means that even with Statutory Sick Pay, family households in the UK would be unable to cover their weekly expenditure.  This is an unsustainable situation and has the potential to cause significant financial difficulties for family households. It highlights the need for a more robust system of sick pay to ensure that families are able to meet their basic needs.