care assistant

field supervisor

care coordinator

support worker

registered manager

Allied Healthcare

Allied healthcare (maidstone branch) management were awful. I got the job via phone interview (they asked me about 4 questions) I came in a week later and filled out my application which they told me they would send off so my references could also be sent. I went to the training sessions a week after and got told I couldn’t start until after my DBS checks and references came back. My DBS came back and I was just waiting for my references to come back. 2 weeks passed and I decided to find out what was taking so long, I contacted both referees to which they told me they hadn’t received any emails, so I decided to call the branch/ office and find out what was taking so long, they informed me they had forgotten to send off my application, they asked me to fill it another application as they’d lost mine which I did and sent to them, they called back 5 days later and said they’d lost it again, I did my 3rd application form. My references came back so I got an email from allied saying they would contact me, 1 week went past and no contact, so I phoned up and got met with blunt not insightful worker from the office, I went in the next day and filled out my contract and should have sorted  my shadowing hours, but I got told the person to sort out my shadowing wasn’t in and would call me the next day, they told me they had no uniform and I should wear my own clothes, I applied to work in the Medway area because that’s where I live and they told me I would also have to do maidstone, I was fine with that as maidstone is still close, as I got up to leave they told me I would have to work in gravesend and northfleet also, which is extremely far from me, but I agreed because I felt I couldn’t say no as everyone in the office was listening.  I then went home waited for a call, and 2 months later still no phone call. 

I have now got another caring job with an amazing company who gave me an official interview,  a lot of information about when I would start, when my shadowing is, how the process works. I did my training and went straight into shadowing.  It’s the same job but it feels 10 times better than allied. 

The staff in Maidstone branch are rude, sloppy, unorganised, patronising. They do not care about their employers as they just give them calls here they and everywhere, no thought. I stayed in contact with 3 of the girls that did the training, and all 3 have no quit because the maidstone branch is absolutely terrible, horrible place to be and horrible place to work.

It make me angry seeing bad reviews about HC4U.  I work in the Worcester area which is run by two ladies who are very professional in their approach and attitude towards staff.  They always work as a team with their staff, they listen to you and deal with any issues at a drop of a hat.  They have time for you at all cost.  I found them very pleasant and funny and a delight to work for.

Where it comes to caring for service users, the expectations with HC4U is that the job gets done.  Okay so the rota started off a bit mismashed but only in the sense that all service users get their calls and I have never found a problem with the timings and the areas I work in.  I receive petrol allowance at 24p per mile which is ok as the rotas are usually based on the carers flexibility and preferred area.  You also soon to learn all the shortcuts.  Wages I believe are high to accommodate the travel time, this was told to me by the manager whenI queried.  If you go to any other Domiciliary care they usually pay low rate and then include travel time.  What's the difference?

My training was excellent and love the moving and handling sessions run by the manager who made it fun for us all.  

If I have a problem then I know I can go to the office and it will be all corrected in an instant.  I have been in Domiciliary care most of my life, all have bad reviews at some point but I have never been to one with a more flexible approach than in Worcester.  The management of this branch are lovely and goes out to work the rounds like the rest of us.

The office has made it clear from the start of my employment that they do not want time wasters, or those that call in sick each week.  Neither do they expect a text from carers saying they cannot work. They want consistency at all times.  What is wrong with that?  They have a huge responsibility to adhere to.

So for those of you who want to mouth off about this company, if you are not capable of coping with a demanding and rewarding job then clearly stay away.  If it isn't for you don't apply, it isn't a 9-5 job where you can expect 40 hours of work Monday-Friday.

A TYPICAL DAY AT WORK: 
My typical  day at work is  quite interesting. 
I identified the home of my first service user, and became excited. I stood by the side, waiting for my double up partners who were all fantastic social carers.  They were expecting me to watch and make little contribution when they were removing diaper and cleaning up service user but were surprised that I told them I could equally do the same. The service user was also a lovely one and I would always want to attend to him and those who can not do something independently. Our work for the day were perfectly done due to professional experiences of the double partners. The service users were also responsive and there was no concern through out. 

WHAT YOU BELIEVE YOU LEARNED:  
TEAMWORK: Teamwork experience from my double up partners is encouraging. In makes work easier and learners are bound start get to know the task. PASSIONATE ABOUT SERVICE USERS: I learned that  passionate about the service users is the beginning the professional. It is MUST to identify with service users and share their feelings while encouraging them. PROFESSIONALISM: Professionalism is the center of the social care and that is the guide to successful career. 

MANAGEMENT: The management of Cera Care are quite fantastic people. They keep in touch with employee especially those shift duty

WORKPLACE CULTURE: Workplace culture is centered on professionalism and making the service users the focus of the profession.

THE HARDEST PART OF THE JOB. The hardest part of the job for me is making meals for service users, this is because, I am not familiar with the meals but if given the opportunity, I will make a good cook

THE MOST ENJOYABLE PART OF THE JOB: The most enjoyable part of the job are those brief chat with service users after attending to their routine needs. 

Allied Healthcare are not a good company to work for.  I would thoroughly recommend that you only take on work with them if you are absolutely desperate and keep looking for alternative work.  What Allied refer to as employment, the rest of the world calls exploitation. Initial training is unpaid although promised payment after 6 months which doesn't happen. Carers are legally entitled to 45p per mile for using own cars,  Allied only pay 20p per mile, if they remember.  They will expect you to travel to distant areas to help out when short staffed and promise to pay incentives.  They won't pay.  Then wonder why they can't get anyone to help.  This is only the half of it.  

If you find yourself so desperate that you have to take on work with these jokers, please do yourself a favour and follow this advice. 
a)	Before signing anything at all, insist on being given time to read through it.  Allied are notorious for pressuring new starts into signing documents confirming they have received training which they have absolutely not received.  Stand your ground and take time to read and understand and if you haven't been trained, DO NOT SIGN.
b)	Before using any moving and handling equipment, make absolutely sure you have been officially trained to use it.  Do not rely on other carers or service users to show you as the chances are they too have not been trained.  This includes so called “care coaches”.  
c)	If the admins offer you incentives to travel outside your normal area of work and then “forget” to cough up said incentives, do not be sucked in a second time.  Use the fact that they reneged on their original promise (and they will) as a reason to say NO.  
d)	Don’t trust that they are paying you correctly.  EVERY WEEK check and double check your pay slips .  

Hindsight is a wonderful thing but If I were to have the last couple of years to do over again, I would spend the time with another company and give this shower the bum's rush.

typical day at work varies depending on the shift assigned. Shifts are not very frequent, usually around 4–6 per month, and often communicated at short notice. Sometimes the working hours are spread out, which can make the day feel fully committed even if the paid hours are limited.

During my time in this role, I have learned how to adapt quickly to different environments and manage time efficiently. The job has helped me improve my communication skills, patience, and ability to handle responsibilities independently.

Management is generally professional, but shift allocation and scheduling could be improved to provide more consistency and advance notice. Greater clarity and stability in working hours would help employees plan better and feel more secure.

The workplace culture is supportive at a team level. Colleagues are cooperative and helpful, which makes the working environment comfortable. However, due to the limited and irregular shifts, it can sometimes feel difficult to build continuity.

The hardest part of the job is the unpredictability of shifts and the travel time compared to the actual paid hours. It can feel challenging when a significant portion of the day is invested but the compensation reflects only the direct working time.

The most enjoyable part of the job is interacting with people and gaining practical experience. It has helped me develop resilience and adaptability, which are valuable skills for the future.

I joined Cera in a Head Office / HQ role. I want to clarify this as the care sector is seeing staff shortages at the care worker and branch staff level - so my comments below should be read in the context of a Head Office / HQ role, rather than branch staff / care worker.

Since joining Cera earlier in 2021 from a different industry, there has been many positives aspects at work for me:
- Very friendly, open, supportive culture
- Dynamic and fast paced, exciting
- Huge opportunity to shape the business and make a significant contribution
- I feel that my contributions are really valued (compared to my previous role in another sector)
- The team mentality is great: everyone supports each other
- Work/life balance is hugely respected

There are of course some aspects of the job that people could view as "cons", that relate to the company being a start-up:
- Demanding requirements, you need to be on your A-game most of the time
- Lots of ambiguity and at times hard to get decisions agreed and make progress
- The pay scale needs to be improved as it's not competitive compared to the market (even compared to other start-ups)
- Lots of problem solving / at times "fire fighting" - you need to be aware of this and be willing to tackle problems head on

Leadership is already making an effort to increase clarity on company objectives and strategy and therefore addressing the ambiguity and formalising relevant forums/processes to speed up decision making which is great.

Overall I am very happy to have joined Cera and I gave 4 stars overall due to the comp package - if that were to be improved I'd give it 5 stars.


My typical day began with the daily duties such as checking and reconciling the bank statements. Putting the cash onto the system and updating and sending the cash forecast to Head Office. Then the general chasing, pending queries, etc.
As we generated our own invoices through various systems, this was completed towards the end of the month.  The month-end close ie posting of invoices, journals etc.  I worked with another credit controller and we both shared these duties, and we had our own ledgers, whilst still working very closely together.
I reported into the Head of Finance who was also based in Birmingham.  He was a great manager who allowed and supported new ideas and processes in order for a better cash collection.  Allied Healthcare is part of the Acromas Group and has several companies under this name.  We did the credit control for five of the businesses that came under the Acromas Group.  We worked very closely together with the branches and the accountants as well as the sales team in order to resolve queries and to allow for a better understanding of the overall business helping to provide an excellent customer service.
I dealt with very sensitive material as i had the Police and Secure ledgers, sometimes i found the context of the information i was providing difficult to deal with.
I thoroughly enjoyed the sense of achievement that came with the resolutions of complex queries that sometimes took several months and many hours of negotiating.  All the ledgers we had been given were several years in arrears and to bring the debtor days down so low was very satisfying. 
Also the different types of people i got to speak with and work with be them customers or colleagues was very enjoyable.

This company seemed to be all about flexibility of working hours whether full-time or part-time flexible hours and a good work life balance.
Flexibility for Allied Healthcare Group would actually be the more accurate description,Im afraid.
In reality it’s a ZERO HOURS contract for a period of three months while you are on probation for this company.
In reality the advertised part -time flexible hours only exist for management and not the carer being employed by this company.
In reality you MUST commit to working at least FOUR shifts every second weekend anytime from 6am to 10:30pm at the basic rate of pay of just over £8 per hour whether you are working a late shift up to 10:30pm in the evening or during a weekend.
It beggars belief should management wonder why there is a lot of sickness cover needed over the weekends to cover staff absences.
In reality the only work life balance here is on the profit sheet of the bank balance of Allied Healthcare Group plc.
To add insult to injury their application form has a whole section dedicated to tick boxes asking the applicant which shifts they are free to cover during the week which is totally irrelevant during the interview process when the interviewer springs the unpalatable news onto the unsuspecting job applicant that weekend shifts are compulsory.
Bunch of chancers.

I'm enjoying being part of a relatively new, progressive and fast growing company who genuinely care about their employees and service users. We have good foundations and support functions in place to further enhance the service our branches deliver. It is a fast paced job and changes from day to day which I enjoy the challenge of. The company really do work in line with their values and objectives and communication is very open in regards to the goals and objectives of the company. The different functions of the business work with each other. The are building the tech based upon what we do actually need in Operations and the UX Research team is effective in finding out what Operations need the tech and build teams to actually do. Our software does have the ability to minimise the 'day to day paperwork' that used to exist in Operations and it is changing the way in which we are able to deliver care to our service users. Our GROW reviews are effective in the sense that there are opportunities for progression and continual development within our roles - which adds to the fact that as an employee I feel valued. I'm proud to be part of the Cera Family and would recommend Cera to others. I also appreciate the ability to work remotely and hybrid when needed. It has really made a difference to me with work / life balance too!

What is the best part of working at the company?
Avoid at any cost. Stress and workload isn't equal to pay, time, going above or beyond. Branch manager ahh I am speechless. They will use you to the point you burning out and then just drop you whenever. Only good thing? Wonderful service users. I could say much more but I hope that's enough for potential employees to avoid. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Poor management. Poor communication between office staff and carers, family's, institutions. Lack of clear communication. Abusing your own car (constant stop/start) travel time not paid and milage paid at bare minimum. Favouritism between carers. Lack of appropriation from Branch manager. Giving you plenty of calls then taking them off when someone new starts. Constant and last minute rota changes. And on the top of this you will end up with very little money because remember travel time it's not paid only call times. Sometimes being out from 2-10 and only been paid for 5/6 hours if lucky enough. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Toxic, poor, discriminative. On the beginning everything looks great and fantastic. Don't get excited that's how they coax you to later exploit you to the point that you can't do it anymore. Good honest carers are leaving because of poor treatment and total lack of appropriation from Branch manager but yet bad ones are talked into staying. Few long term carers are brilliant rest.. they come and go. So no appreciation for good work ethics neither punishment or anything for bad work ethics.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Care assistant 5226 salaries reported	£13.80 per hour
Field supervisor 494 salaries reported	£25,506 per year
Care coordinator 402 salaries reported	£26,287 per year
Support worker 203 salaries reported	£13.60 per hour
Registered manager 101 salaries reported	£39,321 per year

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