registered nurse

senior care assistant

care assistant

sous chef

deputy manager

Avery Healthcare

This was my first job in the care industry, the initial training I felt was good  and supportive which had me feeling positive about the role at first.

I applied for a Kitchen Assistant position, but ended up working as a Host, which although still part of the kitchen team is quite a different role as it involves a lot more interaction with the residents and minimal time spent in the kitchen. Similarly someone else in training was under the impression they would be part of the cleaning/housekeeping staff, they ended up hosting too and were very nervous about it. 

Pay was essentially minimum wage, which I did not feel was fair given how stressful and demanding the role could be at times. Perks were non-existent. I was responsible for serving breakfast, tea, coffee, drinks, snacks, lunch and dinner to just over 20 residents on the dementia floor, paying careful attention to their dietary preferences and needs. In between mealtimes I was responsible for the maintenance and cleanliness of the dining area, though I would usually spend time keeping the residents company and helping them with simple tasks as well. There were usually not enough utensils to go around, the hot water machine and dishwasher were temperamental, communication between different departments could have been better. There were some responsibilities I found a bit nonsensical such as having to write a personalised lunch and dinner menu and deliver it by hand to the kitchen staff every day - you'd think they'd have a better system in place, or that the chefs would remember residents' dietary requirements after cooking for them day in day out. But no, many times there would be nothing for residents with special dietary needs (e.g. allergies, lactose intolerance) to eat sent up in the trolley, which meant having to chase them up and run down to the kitchen to fetch them something so they wouldn't go hungry. The food itself was tasteless and bland at best, it looked and smelled hideous some days. I'd say about 70% of the food ended up being thrown away, people of this age don't tend to have massive appetites.

There are no set break times, and Avery do not pay breaks or overtime. So breaks are taken out of your wages regardless of whether you take a break or not. No one told me where the staff lunch room was until some months into my time there, and I was anonymously reported for relatively petty things like eating in the dining room, or leaving the place untidy when my time was up. This led to me feeling unable to trust other members of staff, and that there was a gossipy, back-stabbing culture which I am told is the norm for care homes. On particularly stressful days I felt pressured by the carers into staying behind after my time was over and tidying up which felt like an unfair amount of responsibility for just one person, especially when there are still roughly 10 unsupervised residents with dementia in the dining area and you're there trying to tidy up and take the bins out just so you can leave on time (I rarely, if ever, managed to leave on time). Agency carers who knew nothing about residents' personal preferences were common, which though not their fault, could be very frustrating. Some agency carers I found unpleasant to work with, however I got on with the majority of my colleagues. On more than one occasion there were major issues with overflow of waste bags in the outside bin area - it was disgusting.

I enjoyed getting to know the residents, all of whom were lovely, wonderful individuals who had lived rich and interesting lives. However there was a chronic shortage of staff and poorly defined job roles, management were nowhere to be seen the vast majority of the time, and were condescending and patronising in their treatment of floor staff when dealing with paperwork and admin duties. I miss the residents and some of my colleagues, but I'm glad I don't work for Avery any more - it took quite a toll on my mental and physical well-being, any on-going support was non-existent.

Typically, Whenever a head office operation is involved in a national company you will have problems that should not exist. This may be a care provider that focused on care initially, but it is now a 'profit-focused' organisation. 
My experience within Avery has been a very mixed one with sights of the ambition and prospect that could be achieved mixed with the neglect and refusal to acknowledge when we have issues and problems. 

Within the homes itself the whole workforce are amazing people and do not deserve to have a working environment that does not offer support or suitable reward for everyone's hard work that almost every day requires going beyond what is expected. 

As for management I have had no issues with the management team (within the home itself). The home manager has the right philosophy's and attitude to make a home excellent and a positive workforce. Sadly the management are at the mercy of 'Head Office', which means unless you are a "Yes" person who will agree with everything that is said and you never question why something is being done, you are never going to be the right candidate within the company eyes. 

I would like to explain how the work is, but it's impossible for me to give a  good idea to other of a typical day. The company has over the pandemic been using excessive furlough that is resulting in dangerous care levels and a general lack of moral for the company. Even now as we move towards the end of the lockdown, Head office has forced managements hand to increase the level of furlough in the home. Naturally some might ask "has the numbers of residents dropped through the pandemic?". The answer is no.
I have questioned and quizzed the company as to why we are using furlough but have not received any straight answer that is consistent between the Head office departments. 
Whats more strange is the company does not want the knowledge of furlough being used within the homes. 

If anyone from Avery Head office is reading this. Please think about what you initially stood for. You have lost your way focused more on your 'image & profits' rather than the care you provide. I have no doubt you will ask "how did we not know about these problems?" if a CQC or local authority officer takes you to task over neglect & ignorance. You have the willing & experienced workforce to make things happen. The problem however is not in your homes. 

If you are thinking of working for Avery, please have a good think about whether its absolutely necessary for you to work in this company. There are plenty of other care providers who will value you more and respect you as a person. If you just need a job, apply, you will be offered it straight away. 

I was employed on a bank basis by this company as a result of their covid 19 recruitment advertisement which promised a lot and delivered very little other than a minimum wage. I lasted 3 months until I resigned

I came with a wealth of previous experience in clinical care and in a customer facing role in aviation. Some of this was in a supervisory/management capacity. 

The interview process was a joke. Even the DBS I provided was never verified by managers in their haste to put people on the rota

In the 3 months I worked I saw this company then loose a general manager, two head chefs, another senior chef and two servers at my work location. Enough said on retention of staff.

There is nothing like a pandemic to expose company shortfalls either generally or specifically due to the current situation. 

A typical day for me consisted for me in turning up/not turning up at the time last seen on my rota. This rota was published two weeks in advance by the now restaurant manager. It was then changed at his whim without asking of even telling staff. Enough said on work/life balance.

Assuming I came in at the right time I then had to go to a room the size of a store cupboard to get my PPE. There were no windows and no ventilation. It was impossible to social distance from other staff if I chose to don this PPE which I did. The majority of other serving staff chose not to yet they were in direct contact with some residents - all of whom are in the most vulnerable group according to age.

There was absolutely no training on the necessity of PPE, why we use it and how to such as donning/doffing gloves. The only time I saw any manager don PPE was when they greeted paramedics at the front door - upholding the façade of doing things right!!

Behind the scenes when they delivered food to residents that were deemed as needing to isolate they wore nothing.

The hardest part of this job for me was dealing with this inept management and listening to their petty general public criticisms of staff they had failed to train or support in a pandemic. The second hardest part was dealing with the changes made by the duty manager of the day which were never communicated at the start of a shift.

The only thing I learned in my short employment with this company was how not to do things. 

The most enjoyable part was my interaction with the residents whom I had the privilege to serve. They were so lovely.

Since the start of my employment with Avery Healthcare I have been made to feel welcome and part of the team.
The employee's and management at Avery are lovely and professional and always go the extra mile for residents, family of residents and staff.

I have not had any bad experiences. The homes are clean, welcoming, comfortable and stylish. There is a very high standard of hygiene and care within the homes. The residents are looked after really well and are always happy. It feels like home.

Avery Healthcare pride themselves on their hotel like standards. I find this to be an amazing thing they are doing as it makes the residents feel like they are being pampered and gives the home more of a holiday/homely feel rather than a typical care home.
Management have always been supportive of me and always have the time to listen to me whether it's my views of the home or how I feel personally. 

The culinary services are excellent. The food is of a very high professional standard. The residents are always spoilt for choice and enjoy meal times. 

All staff have a friendly, professional working relationship. Its a lovely happy atmosphere and residents feel comfortable and happy with the care assistants. They have real bonds with staff which again makes it feel more like home for them. 
There are always activities and something exciting happening within the home. Residents are always stimulated and having fun with the activity co-ordinators. No resident ever looks bored in the care home and same goes for the staff. 

There is always plenty of work to do to keep myself busy and pro-active. Thorough training is always provided to make sure I feel comfortable with what I am doing and can complete tasks to the best of my ability. It is a busy home, but there is always someone to support you and help you. 

I would recommend Avery to anyone. If you are looking for a career which makes you feel like you are giving something back to the community, with high career prospects and great benefits then look no further.

I started my job after a long wait of nine weeks for my DBS to come through, with no income during that time. Initially, I was assigned to housekeeping and laundry roles for two weeks, even though my official position was Head Housekeeper. It was confusing to work alongside others when I was supposed to lead.

In my third week, as I navigated the care home on my own without guidance, I quickly noticed the cleanliness issues and cliques among staff. Despite knowing I shouldn’t wear fake nails, I tested the waters to see if management would address it. They eventually did, but only after over a month, which seemed like a safety oversight.

The pressure of the Head Housekeeper role became evident, especially considering the minimal pay increase of just 26p over the national minimum wage. Learning the responsibilities of my role was challenging, compounded by unexpected tasks that often left me feeling overwhelmed and isolated. When I sought help from management, I was frequently met with vague responses, like emails or phone numbers, rather than direct assistance.

There were also serious safety concerns. On my first day, a former employee, who wasn’t supposed to be on the premises, entered my office unexpectedly, which was unsettling. Additionally, I observed staff bringing their children to work on shift, despite management claiming they were unaware of this. Someone should have questioned their presence straight away.

The few enjoyable moments came from conversations with staff who shared insights about the care home’s past, which left me unimpressed, though I won’t name names. Lastly, I still haven’t received my DBS certificate due to an incorrect address used by the DBS service, leading to it being sent elsewhere. Overall, the environment felt unprofessional, and many changes are needed.



When I started at Droitwich Mews, it seemed like it was a professional and approachable place to work. However, the severe changes of management in the lack of time it has been opened for is concerning and embarrassing. The staff turnover is almost record breaking and the morale is now currently at an all time low. Recently there is new management present... Again and I fear that they are going to have a lot to regain it's morale to a welcoming and professional level. 
There is a severe clash between nights and days, to a point where the person centred care is not a priority and the safety of residents is low. It's appeared to be more about the convenience for some staff members to have an easy shift, while those who work for the residents choices and care plans are not seen as "doing the job right". 
There are staff members who will bust a gut and not get involved with the politics and childish behaviours  of fully grown staff members and they do not get any form of thanks or rewards. It has seemed to recently be a place of 'its not what you do, it's who you know'. Residents who have capacity to understand what is going on around them are also depressed and concerned about the general morale and this becomes a serious concern and is literally heartbreaking. 
I really hope that things pick up there sooner rather than later. Sadly during my time there, I have had to fight for personal sanity and had to have counselling for it. No one should have to put up with that and it is not a good place to work. 
I hope to god that the new management can turn it around though and I wish them the best of luck in the future. 

A typical day involved managing the front desk, answering calls, greeting visitors, and often covering roles beyond my training, such as supervising large groups of residents without support. I learned how to stay calm under pressure and multitask, but felt boundaries between roles were unclear.

Management lacked approachability and accountability. Communication was poor, and newer staff were often excluded. The culture felt cliquey and unwelcoming, with noticeable favouritism. There was also a disappointing amount of gossip, which affected morale.

The hardest part of the job was being expected to take on care-related tasks without training, which raised safety concerns. Breaks were often interrupted, and support from leadership was minimal.

However, the residents were always entertaining—interacting with them daily was genuinely enjoyable. I also loved having friendly chit chats with their relatives, which added warmth to otherwise challenging days.

Overlooked by management as they have their favourites. Under appreciated for the work you do and the extra miles you go. Poorly managed, messing staff around with rotas, and expectations. Management including deputy manager have their “favourites” who they won’t upset/offer better incentives to, eg “do this for me and I’ll give you the weekend off before & the weekend after”. Management not sticking to their word ; the support they offer staff and what the initially offer you. very poor communication overall throughout; some are more privy to information that others when it affects the team. Wonder why head office are not looking into the quick turnover of staff? Management are also willing to “loose their temper” publicly with staff rather than dealing with this professionally & in private. Never see management offer support for the team by helping on care. Prepared to sit in office and close the door rather than be approachable. Rooms are a mess, cluttered, unkempt and undignified with continence aids on display and toilet rolls in full view, care staff run off their feet and unsupported, housekeepers understaffed and run off their feet unable to managed cleaning and tidying to the best of their ability. Care office are a sham, no organisation, files everywhere and poor management of paperwork, very stressful. Too many people do all different jobs instead of good delegation, management, feedback and support from management.

Awful place to work. Constantly short staffed and told to deal with it. Staff are put under so much pressure and stress and management don’t seem to care. Things are reported to managed and nothing gets sorted or done your told that it will get dealt with but nothing ever changes. The place can never get staff to stay, new staff come but leave after a shift or 2 because it’s just not a nice place to work at all. Some of the staff are lovely but the morale is so low as they are so over worked!! Residents do not get the care that they need as there is such a shortage of staff and there is little time. The staff are not looked after at all, you are just a number there and your well being does not matter. There is meant to be an open door policy with management but the doors are shut 99% of the time or it is impossible to find them during the day, even when you do speak to them nothing changes or happens (apart from if your face fits!). There is often more agency staff then permanent staff which is ridiculous. 
Overall it is not a nice place to work for at all, you are not looked after, you are over worked, under paid, very very understaffed and are expected to do so many jobs. Although they have cleaners care staff have a long list of cleaning duties to do aswell as meet all of the care needs of the residents who should come first!! 

Good company for career progression, pay is quite poor for such a big company, worked here before and pay hasn’t really changed, they would attract richer quality of staff if wages were higher.  Good that they pay under 21’s same as over 21’s but attracts alot of inexperienced people. This is NOT a non profit organisation, the fees are high and the owner made HIGH profits over covid19 due to the furloughing of staff but customer fee’s remaining the same. There has been a lot of cut backs with this company during covid which haven’t been reinstated, which means they aren’t selling the same standards any more but they are charging the same prices and some homes even more! Staffing levels depends on how many people are living in the care home at the time, which is very difficult for staff to cope with as the manager will say it’s based on needs of the customers (OAP’s) but it isn’t really it’s based on £££ and profit. Which is sad. Mixture of nursing and residential homes. Residential homes are widely known to lack in staff numbers. I worked for this company many years ago for a long time and only left to have a baby, I thought it was fantastic, recently returned in a care role and quality has decreased from what it used to be. Staff no longer feel special. I decided I wouldn’t stay and left after a few months. 

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Registered nurse 54 salaries reported	£23.62 per hour
Senior care assistant 135 salaries reported	£14.03 per hour
Care assistant 287 salaries reported	£12.96 per hour
Sous chef 26 salaries reported	£14.76 per hour
Deputy manager 15 salaries reported	£47,187 per year

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