Home care worker, poor pay and conditions

I was working for a Home Care agency in Bristol until February this year. I couldn't agree more with the comments on this page. I was with the agency for almost a year and they were so incredibly incompetent it was beyond belief. Double booking clients, missed calls and constant harrasment, begging you - and at times threatening you, that if you couldn't help them out covering this 'emergency' then it would be doubtful if they would be able to find work for you next week!....
I once had a phonecall at 6.30am in the morning one Saturday from one of the co-ordinators asking why I wasn't at the agreed meeting place to meet another carer for the morning double up rounds. I then proceeded to tell her that as no one had called me to ask me if I was available to work the weekend, I assumed that they had the rota covered. It turned out that my name was written on the board on Wednesday, but no one from the office called to ask me if I could work! I was obviously expected to have a sixth sense and know exactly who I was supposed to be meeting and where. I had made no provision for anyone to look after my son, so I just couldn't go to work. The office were unable to find anyone else to help with the round and the Care Assistant agreed to work a round which MUST take two carers on her own, using the hoists when the office said they were prepared to pay her double time! It's an absoultue disgrace. No regard for the well being and safety of the clients. Bullying and harasment of staff, poor wages, overwork...the list goes on and on. I was so demoralized and depressed by the conditions and although I loved working with the clients and got real satisfaction in trying to make their day a little brighter, I just couldn't take the stress anymore. Something needs to be done fast about these agencies, they are just out for themselves and a money making racket!

I work as a Home Care Assistant and I completely agree with you. I am extremely low paid. 6.50 an hour, and most of my clients are for only half an hour, which makes it 3.25 for each client I see. I am not paid while travelling between visits. Sometimes I am given 15 minutes and sometimes even less time to get from one client to the other. The clients are located all over ther borough and it takes a lot longer than 15 minutes to travel from one client to the other. The company I work for do not care about the clients or the carers. You get no benefits whatsover where I work. They do not tell you the truth when you apply for the job and attend an interview. I am sure that if they did tell prospective employees the truth they would not be able to recruit anyone. I honestly feel that I would be better of on the dole. Every month it is a struggle trying to manage on the wages I receive. It's an absolute disgrace that they could pay people this wage. You would not pay a school leaver the salary that I get. I am currently looking for a new job. I enjoy the job that I do, and I have become very fond of my clients, but I just cannot live on the salary I get as a Home Care Assistant. The government/employers/agencies really do need to look into this and start paying Home Care Assistants a decent wage.

my sister works for careforce, she loves the clients and the work she does. she too, as stated in the gripe above, only gets paid for the time spent in the clients home, she often sets off to reach her 1st call for 7.30am, works until 10.30pm with only ^2 hours break in between for meals and rest. she has to pay the added premium on her car insurance for using her car for business use (which she has to provide documented proof to careforce) and considering she's a relatively new driver and under 25 it's not cheap (her insurance premium increased by around £250), she has to pay for all the fuel and badly managed rota's mean that she will often pass the home of the call after the one she is on her way to, she comes out with £6.14 p/h for approx 7.5 hours work so after tax and NI deductions she is left with around £35-38 per day of which she will spend £10,-15 on fuel equating to £20-25 per day for 15 hours work and from that she has to pay her insurance of £140 p/m. it's wearing her down, she's 19 but looks exhuasted most of the time.

I am appauled at this and thought that being a home care worker would be helping the elderly, if this is how you get treated then I give up hope on everyone who is taking on for this job, shame on you...

(cont..) I am coming to the end of my tether trying to both keep staff, fight for the right for them to be paid properly and to try and stop the office bundling far too many calls into a crazy time slot. I work on average 55-65 hours a week (normally covering for carers who simply just quit the job). At times I feel powerless to help the carers who leave, many excellent ahrd working carers. But changing the companies policies/pay structure is just an ongoing saga. As I deal with clients on a day to day basis and social workers, many are just oblivious to just how bad the system is. They simply cant understand why carers come and go and I am paid to "explain in a diplomatic manner" the job just wasnt for them (but makes me angry as I would like to tell them the TRUTH) As for Social workers, many must live on another planet, what some expect from a carer on £6 ph is an absolute disgrace too, although to be fair amny are aware of the crumbling home care system. If it wasnt for the fact I actually enjoy my job and I have a mortgage to pay etc.... I would tell my employers they can put the job where the sun dont shine. The sad fact is that all of the carers in my team always do the utmost to give our clients the best possible care and attention, with little or no support directly from the company.. usually from me and my manager (who incidently shares my own views). It is time for a big change to the system, the loacl authorities need to understand (and the government) that cheapest does not equal quality. I know for a fact its simply all about making money and once the clients on the books, who cares if the level of care is rubbish! Its just a good job "some of us" carers actually do, because the Local Authorities and the Government obvioulsy don't!

Firstly thank you so much for sharing your experience and I 100% agree with all your comments. The present state of this so called "care in community" is an absolute disgrace. And I am speaking from first hand experience as I work as a Team Leader for a "well respected" UK Care Agency. In the year and half I have worked for this company (never working in this area previously) I am still stunned at just how bad he present system works. My small care team are fantastic, but unfortunately so many carers come and go - why? .... well the pay and how it works. No travel expenses are paid for carers travelling on buses, they are expected to travel "all over the place", work to meet tight time schedules (which are rarely met). As an example, one carer was expected to go to a clients - pay £2.25 to get there for half an hours work which paid him £3.00. Absolutely shocking???? Who is going to do that?? half an hours work for .075p? .

I agree that the care managers/owners of care companies havent a clue on how to run them, sending carers out to clients on the wrong days etc, etc The gripe for me is that I only get paid for the time there (plus fuel-which is over what I actually spend) and its not great hrs and I have to work 6 days a week to get the best pay I can.but I am rather happy with the pay and I love my job. I have met some lovely clients and see 2 regularly and we have a great laugh while I get the work done. Luckily I dont work for a company that does a ring in system, so dont get caught out for running late on the ringing. And just wanted to say...we are not allowd to except gifts or money and its in most contracts we cant be written into a will...we are not all that shallow!

The implementation of this logging in and out nonsense is tantamount to slave labour.
As mentioned in the article, no time is allowed for travelling, which is absolutely unfathomable. How are expected to be at a client’s house at 8.00am for a half an hr call, and then make it to your next call at your scheduled time of 8.30am when it is 10 minutes away? Do the council provide time machines!! So instead of a carer getting paid for half an hr, they get paid for 20mins, and instead of a vulnerable person getting half an hr care they get 20mins. Are these vulnerable people paying the council for only 20mins, are they hell, they are paying for a full 30mins. So if the 10 min travel time is not going to the people doing the job, whom is it going to! The council…. Who incidentally also hire the Care Company who will do the job for the cheapest, hence more profit for them? Not a thought for the carers or the vulnerable people they are caring for! Profit profit profit !!!!!

careforce part of the mears group is suposed to be according to their advertisment literature; an effective efficient home care company providing highly trained competent staff. I sufferer from copd a killer lung disease,in 5 years I have had 60 different carers,that speaks for it's self. out of those I rate only eleven carers as suitable to do the job properly. the so called management which has changed many times is pathetic and totally incompetent. anyone knowing this company please blogg your views. adlko

My girl friend just took a job as a carer 3weeks ago. and I wish she read this.. I cant believe they can pay people the way they do per visit.. because if you divide it down tot he hours they work for real.. they are earning in the region of £2.50 to £3.00 a hour pre tax. not £7 an hour as stated. because if it was actually £7 an hour.. you should be paid fromt he first call to the last call...

I am pretty sure there is a law against that..

Yoos personal carers ...one knocked on my door complaining that i'd parked behind her car. I live just opposite the carer's client. She knocked on my door complaining i'd parked too close to her car and that I had a problem. I explained I had no problem but I lived next to my property and I had a right to park there! She was quite aggressive towards me, and considering I apologised she continued to be aggressive!! I will report her to the local council as I'm not an aggressive person...but I have been given no choice as this has not been the first time. These people have NO right to tell me where OR how to park outside my OWN property in my Own parking space!!!! I will report this person to the local authority and hope she gets the discipline she deserves. She ruined what could have been a perfect Easter weekend for me!!!!

Linda

There are privately owned and run homes and care agencies, these are run as companies. There are regulatory bodies (CSCI to name one) that 'regulate' the companies, they set down certain rules about how many clients are cared for, what standards of care should be met and how, staffing levels etc. The problems are that very rarely do the regulatory inspectors atually see what goes on on the 'shop floor' so to speak. Anyone can write a perfect policy and a procedure to ensure that the policy is met, so on paper everything is A ok. In practice things are very different. There are two main types of service user, those that have the money and assets to fund their own care 'self funding' and then those who's fees are paid by the local authority. Homes and agencies often have a contract with the local authority to take X number of clients for X number of pounds.
The agencies and homes that are privately run are done so as a business, to make money. The 'companies' make X number of pound per week from fees, and then X number a week goes out on outgoings, food bill, staffing bill, electric etc.
So in order to make more money things outgoings must be cut back, as mostly, fees are a set amount. So food is poor quality, staff are not covered, leaving the clients who pay for the service short on care.