support worker

support manager

team leader

deputy manager

support practitioner

Affinity Trust

I wouldn't want to paint an entirely bleak picture, but let's just say the management style could be generously described as "hands-off"... bordering on "completely absent, possibly on a very long, very relaxing beach somewhere." This naturally trickles down to the communication, which often feels less like a coherent exchange of information and more like a game of Chinese Whispers played across a particularly noisy building site.
Of course, the motivational symphony of the workplace is further enhanced by the dulcet tones of "underpaid" echoing through the corridors. One might think this fosters a spirit of collective penny-pinching, but alas, it mostly just fosters a collective desire for a winning lottery ticket.
Adding a dash of spice to this already vibrant environment is the chronic case of "Where's Wally?" but instead of a stripy jumper, we're searching for actual staff members. This, in turn, has led to a rather enthusiastic embrace of agency colleagues. Now, while I wholeheartedly appreciate their presence, the ensuing linguistic acrobatics required for even the simplest task often make a game of charades seem like a straightforward lecture on quantum physics. Teamwork, as a result, is less a well-oiled machine and more a collection of individuals paddling furiously in slightly different directions.
And just when you thought the operational rollercoaster had reached its peak, we have the occasional disappearing act by our esteemed managerial figures. Their absence, while undoubtedly for legitimate reasons (we hope they're at least enjoying that aforementioned beach), leaves a leadership vacuum that could swallow a small car. The contingency plan, it seems, involves a lot of hopeful gazing and perhaps a strongly worded memo left on an empty desk.
Finally, and I hesitate to even bring this up for fear of shattering any remaining illusions of workplace harmony, there's a certain… olfactory situation developing in our shared sleep facilities. Let's just say the pre finishing routine of some colleagues involves leaving behind a biohazard that would make a hazmat team reconsider their career choices. This, as you can imagine, adds an extra layer of "charm" for the sleep staff attempting to, well, sleep.
In conclusion the current confluence of poor management, communication breakdowns, financial disincentives, staffing shortages, international linguistic puzzles, leadership limbo, and… aromatic surprises… has created an environment that is, shall we say, less than ideal.


“Do more with less” seems to be the current mission statement.  New systems and processes are brought in which sound good in a meeting but are implemented poorly, with little support, guidance or real-world problem solving.

The organisation favours a slow-paced upper management who take an extremely long period to choose anything (while not communicating that this is happening) until they have finally decided.  Then the organisation makes sudden, extreme, life-changing adjustments to ways of working.  We’re nearly a quarter of the way through the 21st century and still using paper timesheets.  No doubt the response will include that digital systems will replace these - yes they are coming but the fact they haven’t already been here for a decade is an excellent example of the sheer inertia big decisions have at this organisation.

Having this relative lack of communication from upper management about business strategy, aims and implementation until a system is suddenly announced and given ludicrous timescales (as short as a fortnight to completely overhaul from paper to digital records, for example) means that the overall feeling projected down the chain is that the organisation is an extremely anxious, panicky elephant.  Lumbering and slow, but by god it makes a noise when it notices a mouse.

As a manager, you attend a very large amount of meetings.  Very few with any actual substance to them.  Many are themed around “yes, we know X is a problem but that’s something we just have to deal with”.  Isn’t the point of a problem solving meeting to talk about *how* we deal with a problem, rather than just agreeing that there is a one..?

Cost-saving measures have been targeted toward the job security of current employees over finding other ways to reduce overheads.  It appears that this has been discussed at high levels for an extensive period of time, decisions have been made, announcements have been made and *then* the organisation asks people whose jobs are at risk “what other things could we do?”

I do not have faith that the organisation is currently financially secure, especially considering recent choices made about certain levels of employee, how fast these choices are happening and how much of an impact it will have to lose so many staff at once, so at present it is not my recommendation to work at Affinity Trust.

I would, however, say that I love my job.  I love the people that I support, the team I am in, my co-workers and I believe that the way the business *wants* to operate (and in most cases, does) is truly exceptional. 

First; constantly pestered by management to cover shifts even on annual leave because we were under hours (not by our fault; too much staff at one point- but don't worry! The staff turnover is so high, there'll be plenty of shifts to cover, whether you like it or not) but here's the kicker; you may not be paid for the 15 minute handover time before every shift. Because why pay staff for their time...although if you're lucky, some sites pay the handover time, but good luck finding out which one- management lied to me about it anyway! (Despite 4 members of staff confirming that yes, it was paid.)
Second; poor management. If you get a timely response to emails, (a response is a blessing in itself) check and recheck the email to confirm that yes, actually management gave you a response! Congratulations. You have something akin to a rare Pokémon. Because the only time I received emails was when management were criticising the staff. It's not all doom and gloom though, occasionally they'll sprinkle the odd "good job staff" when they are hunting for shift cover. 
Management are frequently not on the same page either so if you like a challenge at work, this is the place to be! Because I frequently had no idea what was going on- one manager saying one thing, the other saying the complete opposite. This was right down to my medication "training"! Nothing makes you feel more confident than when managers are talking about the other on whether they should have cleared me through my very rushed medical training; (they wanted to add some excitement to my day by placing myself on shift with someone who also had not had their medication training and so could not provide VERY important medication to the people we support) and yet after questioning my competency for providing medication, they left it on that very reassuring note and did not offer to provide extra training or advice after to ensure I was competent. 

To wrap it up: "let's get this over with, I've got better things to do"  sums up  a day at AAffinity Trust; direct quote from a manager in response to two serious incidents which had occured  in regards to a person we support. t

Very disappointing experience;  I started the  role initially feeling very excited and positive and left it feeling drained, stressed,  and bitter

Worked for Affinity trust for a few years.  Management come and go. Training is provided and is good. However the responsibility you have lone working with the people you support weighs heavy on you. You are on you're own much of the time. Often dealing with challenging behaviours and inadequately staffed. Often feeling unsupported in times of crisis. Staff have dealt with management coming and going ,rarely there to assist or advise . Staff sleep room was inadequate for quite some time. Often you are on your own with all the medication and the support role. And sometimes shipped out to other services to administer their meds  due to other services with the same issues. Lots of errors due to staff shortage and incompetent staff. The people at the top are stating what the service  users should and should not be doing for themselves. 
However have probably never met the service user and only deals with the paperwork side. Knowing nothing about the service user or what they are able and willing to do for themselves.  Unrealistic times allocated to carry out all what needs to be completed during support times. This leaves the support worker frustrated . The company are quick to come down and criticise the errors. However are not as quick to complement you for your hard work during this time. The company supports some very complex individuals and due to low staff morale most of the team have now left. I hope the service is turned around for the sake of the service users and future staff. Staff are often excited to get each other in trouble for errors rather then supporting their team to make a more positive environment. On the whole it could be a lovely place if the people at the top actually knew the service users and took more notice of the information that has been gained through working directly with the people being supported .

Where do I start? The management are possibly the biggest downfall of the entire company. It's basically run from the stone age. And the managers themselves are the most useless bunch I think I have ever come across. 
They enjoy ignoring you. The rubbish this company threw at me during my last month of employment leaves in no doubt they are the reason for my sickness. 
But if you enjoy being left on shift while cuddling the bathroom toilet being sick and desperately calling your manager and other senior staff for cover or help, for them to just leave you there while having to care for another then this is the perfect job for you. Especially when there was two perfectly well, available and able staff members to come on shift, but just chose to ignore me and the issue entirely. 
I was also promised a position in a service not only nearer to me but also one that I was familiar with for over 2 years. I was promised the position by a member of staff that basically lied directly to my face. As not even a week later someone new was shadowing me and getting inducted there. Not that they thought to let me know of that development. 
And honestly they are shocking at replying to emails it's unreal. They couldn't give a toss about you, unless you want to do loads of overtime then they are your best friend. I honestly felt like I wasn't even valued as an employee. I've never experienced such shoddy managers in my life. And I never ever want to again. 

The only positive I have to take away with me is the great times I had with people I supported and the adventures we went on. Although they use the compassion and empathy you have for these people to guilt trip you into staying on your day off.
I hope I improved some of the people supported lives a tiny bit, while the company was dragging mine into the dirt.

When I was first employed by Affinity Trust there was an open, friendly and excellent atmosphere in the office. ALL managers were approachable and happy to help with any concerns and issues you may have. 
Over the past few years however succesive managerial changes have had a negative effect upon this. Training courses have become increasingly infrequent. communication from management almost non existant. Staff performance reviews were also infrequent bordering on the non existant .Staff rotas are regularly put out at the last minute (less than 48 hours before they are due to commence) and littered with duplicate and uncovered shifts.
Morale is through the floor as it has become increasingly obvious that a small group of support workers are the favoured ones. Despite protestations otherwise opinions on how to improve the packages of persons are mostly ignored as are any concerns poor practice in packages . 
Management are only interested in covering shifts than the physical and mental welfare of their staff leading to a very high burn out rate and turnover of staff. 
I was selected to embark upon the team leader training program and also had a short period acting up in the role. Sadly throughout this time I was NEVER properly supported in my efforts. I was given no mentor to advise and encourage me and whilst in post given tasks to do that were largely nothing to do with the post and more about revlieving duties from management.
I genuinely never thought I would write a review like this about the company but such is my disillusionment i feel i have no choice 

Affinity Trust was the worst place I have ever worked, they transferred from Dimensions at the beginning of the year and have lost so many staff in this time, there is currently no managers left in West Berkshire. Dimensions never received a poor CQC rating in the 25 years they managed the homes and staff, but Affinity wanted to come in and tell everyone they could not do their jobs properly. Staff I worked with too scared to raise concerns at fear of being sacked. The work culture is shocking, with staff too scared to come in and work, so many agency workers due to lack of staff. Managers signing themselves of sick and then little to no support for us who were left here. Families always complaining to us staff, and we dont know how to make it better for them. Induction to affinity was not there, the policies and stuff are hard to get as staff can not download documents. They stopped the cars for people we support as well in many homes meaning they cant get out to the places they used to get out, and they dont allow household accounts for the people we support, without cars as well having to do four of five shopping trips for people we support a weeks pending more money to do so. They dont care about their staff or the hard work we put in to try and support the people. They took away the team leader roles which some of us worked hard to get to NVQ L3 and now we cant use our skill set and support other staff, without managers being here it means that there is no qualified people working within homes and it is risky. I would never work here again and hope things improve for the people we support.

This is the worst company I've ever worked for.  There is a serious problem with bullying, poor management, poor communication, poor risk assessment for the service users, poor support for staff, poor staffing levels, high staff turnover, no true opportunities for advancement (you will be gaslighted by management telling you otherwise), poor work / life balance because you don't get the rota ahead in enough time, you only get 2 weeks when it should be at least a month. So poor planning on the side of management means you can't plan anything in your life.

Sometimes management will try to send you in to support a service user without the proper shadowing thus putting the service user at risk because you don't know their routine or requirements to be supported properly.  In some situations this can turn out to be a very dangerous scenario where medication is concerned. Due to the high staff turnover and poor staffing levels, some service users medication gets missed for 3 days! This goes far beyond empty slots on a MARS sheet!

When you bring up issues to be addressed they are ignored.  Meetings can be confrontational. If you bring up an issue, some managers will try to be vindictive and punish you with the aim of silencing you and when things go wrong those same managers will try to rewrite the narrative and blame you for their nonsense or try to set you up for failure, unless you see through the games ahead of time. There is a serious culture of coverup and silence.

When you are leaving they pay you the wrong amount and mess up your pay.

Horrible experience!  I'm glad I left.


I worked here and they seem to think their own policies outweigh legislation. Asked to do tasks that were unsafe and the manager just stated it was company policy... Even though I quoted the law..... I didn't do it but another member of staff did.
The management team are incompetent and disregard people's (including service uses) needs. They are very good at making mistakes, covering their tracks and blaming someone else. 
Service users have support packages in place but are not receiving them due to staffing issues...and management misinterpreting the support required. 
Management tell and don't ask... No manners whatsoever. 
COSHH cupboard not lockable and easily accessed. 
Meds cabinet key left in the door. 
No fire doors to office. 
No cleaning plans in place. 
No oven from the day of opening. 
No tenancy agreement in place for the service users. 
No communication from management. 
Management blatantly lie. 

May seem I have a problem with management but there are no managers here that I dealt with who are competent. 
Stay clear of this organisation, they just don't listen and definitely don't care. This is underlined with the generic responses to any negative review placed on here and no solutions offered to problems raised. 
On a final note when I received my final payslip it was incorrect and I was told they only process information (timesheets/expenses) they receive.... My line manager clearly hadn't completed them but luckily I took photos of the paperwork I handed in. 
PLEASE STAY CLEAR OF THIS ORGANISATION 


If your thinking of applying for Affinity Trust Don’t. Just don’t it’s one of the worst mistakes you will will ever make in your life, but then again, if you don’t wanna have a social life, like getting treated like rubbish, overworked then this is the place for you.
Management don’t have a clue on how to run anything never mind a care organisation. All they care about is money. They don’t care about there supports nor do they care about there staff. No wonder they are such a high turnover of staff once there in there rushing to get out. This is supposed to be a care organisation, and one of the lead mangers said “ if you have mental health issues you shouldn’t be supporting individuals” that’s absolutely disgusting they have no duty of care to staff. In my honest opinion is never work here, but if your up for it on you go, hope you have a fantastic time working there. You honestly just feel like a puppet and you need to do everything they say.
For holidays and leave booked? Ah well you might no even get that without a fight!
This place had emotionally drained me and I had no support even tho work were aware of my mental health issues it just got ignored. Baring in mind my mental health was stable before I started and this place has completely broken me as a person. Mangers and seniors pick there favourite. Get made feel bad if you don’t take overtime and get hounded with calls on you days off

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Support worker 918 salaries reported	£12.63 per hour
Support manager 30 salaries reported	£36,236 per year
Team leader 1 salary reported	£18,340 per year
Deputy manager 17 salaries reported	£31,806 per year
Support practitioner 15 salaries reported	£27,545 per year

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