senior care assistant

care assistant

registered nurse

senior nurse

cook

Methodist Homes (MHA)

After working for this company, I found myself in a position where my role had changed and I essentially had to apply for my own job, which I did and luckily, I was one of the successful few that passed. 
Enjoying my new role soon turned from enjoyment to sheer fear. 
The amount of work you were expected to achieve on a day to day basis, when the home in itself was so incredibly busy was unachievable. 
You were made to feel bad if you went home on time, so often ended up spending 1 or 2 more hours unpaid trying to catch up on work you could never get on top of. 
Whoever thought of the role of Administration Manager has clearly never had to do it before, especially not in a home the size I worked in. 
I ended up having a massive breakdown and the home I worked in was the majority of the reason. I would have panic attacks on the way in to work, I lost too much sleep over it. I would be on call even though it wasn't part of my job (to be fair, I offered), I also would offer to come in with the Home Manager to do a night shift (probably the only time I could actually finish anything!)
I had a wonderful relationship with the Home Manager, we had to battle through a ridiculously hard year where there was just the two of us with very little support from Head Office and no Area Manager. 
Head Office were not the helpful people they professed to be. On a number of occasions, I was shouted at down the phone, snotty emails telling me I hadn't done something and then when I proved I had, there was no apology, no acknowledgment of it. It soon wears you down. It soon makes you feel that you're not worth anything, it makes you feel that you can't do your job properly and then you start to doubt yourself and your own self worth. 
I absolutely loved that home and the residents, oh, my residents, I miss them terribly, but the job and all that it became. No. I dont miss that. 
A lot of staff are leaving due to a massive change in the atmosphere in the home, its not the happy place it used to be. Don't get me wrong, the carer and nurses, the domestics, the kitchen and management do the best job they can ever do, but the atmosphere isn't what it was. 
Essentially, you have to be the right fit, you have to want to work 45-50 hours a week, you have to want to ignore your family life and not have a social life. You have to want to put your job before anything else in your life because it will slowly take your soul, it will deprive you and make you feel worthless. It will make you consider extreme things. I was in a bad place. I left and now, now I feel so much lighter.
I didn't realise how toxic it had become until I was free.

The management and certain staff are very clicky and will take great pleasure in getting you into trouble. 
Had my job threatened on numerous occasions and this was because I was not happy with the constant changing job description.
Felt like you were constantly battling to get your point across and argue your case, but if you're not one of the favourites then you're wasting your time and just get shouted at.
Very few residents out of bed on the weekends when management aren't in which is upsetting.
Numerous health and safety concerns such as residents in wheel chairs that they haven't been risk assessed for. 
Got given so many tasks to do in a 6 hour day with no recognition for it or availability for over time. So it was a case of do it or your job gets threatened, again. 
There's an unclear job description, hence why management get away with adding more tasks in your day when you don't physically have time. 

A typical 6 hour day would include planning activities for the following week, answering phones, answering the door, 4 / 5 visits a day, sterilising a room and the entrance after every visitor, booking visits, 2 activities - each lasting an hour long, fundraising, assisting with lunch, answering emails, answering any resident requests, delivering newspapers, daily paperwork for whoever attended activities, keeping up to date with Facebook posts, planning events, relative & resident meetings and organising entertainment. If you had a car you'd have to cover more jobs on occasion suchas getting newspapers, prescriptions and going to the bank. You were meant to have a break at some point in the day, but as you had to take the work phone with you, 75% of the time you were called off of it. 

Not great pay and very few benefits. A quick way to drive yourself crazy keeping up with tasks others order you to complete - quite frankly because they cannot be bothered. 

I am a current employee at Hatherlow House. I have worked here for 6 years. 
Hatherlow House is one of the most positive places I have ever worked. 
The staff team are trained from the beginning with standards in mind. Therefore, consistently providing high quality person centred support. The whole team endeavour to maintain residents independence and dignity at all times, and treat them with the upmost respect. 
We have a very positive attitude in the workplace which then reflects onto the residents, creating a happy and calm atmosphere for them. 
Hatherlow House is one of the most diverse places I have ever worked. It is a pleasure to go to work each day and share experiences between staff and residents, of different cultures, experiences and walks of life. The residents thoroughly enjoy talking and learning of different cultures within our staff team. 
I have recently returned to work after a year of maternity leave. The manager made my transition back to work extremely easy. I was initially quite anxious about childcare issues that may arise, and being ‘out of practice’ having not worked for a year. My anxieties and potential problems were immediately put to rest on my first day returning to work. The manager was very flexible with my working hours and prioritised childcare issues as well as the residents needs at Hatherlow. I have been eased back into work with no pressure on my shoulders. 
I will continue to work at Hatherlow for as long as possible, or as myself and the residents like to call it, ‘home from home’. 

I'm currently employed at pennystone court in Lancashire and couldn't praise the home, staff and management enough, i say this with pride! we are a great team. The pay is higher if not the highest then most care homes in the local area, having said that you don't get paid breaks so working a 12 hour shift at the hourly rate minus the break your not paid for, it infact works out at national minimum for the 12 hours your on the premises. I think offering all the staff (not just seniors) free meals would compensate but can't have it all. the care is outstanding each resident is treated as a individual with dignity respect compassion and love, management have been fantastic reliable, professional, fair and understanding. They have the home and residents in there hearts, the staff are all lovely I haven't personally experienced any clicky staff or the normal moans about fellow colleges. It is a challenging job role and some days can be harder than others, this just comes with the job it certainly hasn't scared the long standing staff some of which have been employed for 25+ years, Its a humble happy place to work and given the fact we have just won Britain's best dementia care home I guess says it all. Big up pennystone crew! 

What is the best part of working at the company?
Pay is competitive, often the company have flexibility so you can chose the shifts, hours you want to work. Also they support you to do NVQ level 3. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Lack of staff put pressure in the team twhen delivering care. It is hard for the company to be enough staff in all the areas. When no lacking of cares they lack of cleaners, cooks or administrative staff.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
It is very welcoming to diversify. They take very seriously any kind of discrimination or unfair treat.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
There are good and not so good colleagues, bit in general we work as a team and team leaders are very supportive. In my scheme there is not a day that is same to the rest but in general goes busy but easy once you are used to it. Building trust and good professional relationship is very important. I get along with my coworkers so it feels like a second family, same with residents. I think MHA could improve with the benefits that gives to workers but it is a nice environment, at least in my scheme.

I can't stress this enough but your experience will depend on where you are. Each home is different and where I am was one with many problems but is making big changes, as is MHA as a whole. My experiences with head office have been brilliant, people just always want to help and in my role I pester all of them. The area managers where I am in the East Midlands are very supportive. The home was a new experience for me having never worked in one before and boy is it different to any workplace I've seen in construction and security, both industries that take you all over. Being in the home can be difficult sometimes but the rewards massively outweigh it. MHA has really made me reevaluate my beliefs about large corporate entities, charity or not, I believe MHA genuinely wants what is best for the residents and their staff, from the top down. They provide so much support and services which you just need to reach for to make the most of your time.

I have been and currently work for MHA for 4 years now and I absolutely love it! I love the staff I work with and the residents are brill, we are like one big family. Our manager hasn't been with us long but the improvements she has made to our home have been amazing. I am now happy to come into work. Only con I will say is in the last 2 years we have had a lot of our benefits cut such as sick pay, paid breaks. I think head office could do with going over this again as I know a lot of people feel the same. Other than that, I think it is a great organisation to work for. I always feel supported and if I have any problems or difficulties, our manager is always there the listen and help. Our home has also recently changed from nursing to just residential and I think the seniors are all doing an outstanding job!! Again, they are always there to help and advises and they work professionally considering how much they have to do. I understand that some people don't always feel appreciated when working in care however, you are all doing a brilliant job!!

After a few weeks I felt part of the team I worked night shifts - 24hrs per week.  The team of care staff on my rota were great to work with we all pulled together.  With two 25 bed areas the work can be quite demanding and there is cleaning/laundry to attend to as best you can given staff numbers.  I would have liked to be able to stay on the team I worked with but my 24 hr week was changed and the nights closer together proved to be too much.  The Manager  started a few weeks after I joined and seemed to be thoughtful towards how Care was implemented etc.  They do expect over time, as obviously, it is better for residents to have staff they know and have developed a trusting relationship with rather than agency.  I couldn’t cope with any extra shifts plus the change in my rota so sadly I had to leave.  I worked in Ormskirk.  It would be good if Care homes overall were better at realising that some staff cannot manage the rota shifts or extra work it feels as if you are being forced out the door. 

I arrive at work at 7am for 7.30 start.  Make a cuppa and then wait for the handover from the night staff on the previous night.  After handover you can almost set your clock by which resident will be the first to rise and buzz their call bell.  Depending on the resident if they require 2 carers or one we either pair up or attend rooms singularly.  Aftr each resident has been dealt with the paperwork is usually filled in along the way and then by approx 11.30 after breakfasting everyone the dining room is set for lunch.  After lunch we transfer whoever wants to back to their rooms or into the lounge and then usually some form of entertainment maybe pampering or armchair aerobics starts in the afternoon.  Some residents prefer a little one to one time maybe with a book or a spot of tv.  Teatime is around 5 in the dining room then after that some residents like a bath or shower before settling down in the evenings.  After filling in all the days paperwork and generally making sure all is fine it soon gets to 7.30pm and I go home

Typical day was full of varied duties which I enjoyed. 

Training for some tasks was very good, but for others non existent. They tended to depend on you reading large manuals then and understanding everything instantly, as you were then the "expert."   Had a "Buddy" system in name only. The Manager worked in a haphazard way which was hard to cope with and quite clearly had favorite staff members and in my time employed there I found her to be incredibly dishonest with a blinkered opinion.

No overtime available in my position only, but hardly ever left work at the end of the day on time, very often staying behind to make sure something was completed after a delay caused by others or an emergency such as a patient fall. Lost pay and received berating if you ever arrived 1min or more late at the start of duties, and management always watched the clock to ensure that I took not a minute more that my 30min lunch. 

The best part of the job was meeting and getting to know the wonderful residents and some of the very hardworking, brilliant staff.

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