registered nurse

care assistant

care team leader

deputy manager

domestic assistant

Runwood Homes

From the start it was a very poor initial impression, telephone interview ended with me being told, this pandemic has given us the best chance of getting the best person for the job, as so many people are being laid off, Wow...

This along with the amount of time and the lack of response from the Estates director and facilities administrator, should have served as a big red flag to how they are likely to treat their staff.  A few weeks later and I guess when it suited them, I receive a call asking if I would attend a face to face interview, but not to worry as there is no more Covid cases in the building, well at least in the wing we would meeting up in.  
I attended the interview as agreed, I was on time.  Interview went pretty well and I was told he would call me the following day to confirm, yes you have probably guessed, several days later its confirmed with a start date.  A real lack of people management skills, in fact I would say zero people management skills.  On my start day, He was not available to meet up, so as a contract manager. I spent the day breaking up furniture with 2 labourers.  This along with no autonomy, no decent staff, no contractors, no easily accessed trade account, no support, the support offered was another contract manager who was clearly set on making it difficult and being very ambiguous on how they worked.  Maintenance staff were not happy and this as I understood was down to their skillset being lower than the requirement, which is what you get when you pay peanuts. 

Needless to say I handed in my notice on the 3rd week and I can honestly say that it was by far the least enjoyable job I have ever had, working with people who have no respect for the trades and are so arrogant towards anyone coming to work for them, which is the attitude I got when being interviewed, I just hadn’t really picked it up fully.  The ‘Bramwell’ office staff and the home manager, where I was sited for the 3 weeks were brilliant and couldn’t fault them.  The RFM who was treated like a skivvy and I was told was useless when I arrived, was actually a real asset and a first class employee, way too valuable to be working for people like this and for his own sake, should be moving on.  The care sector for you!

I have recently left Runwood Homes after working for them for three years in two of their Nottinghamshire homes. The homes I worked in were both lovely places to be, the care staff were incredible and it was always a pleasure to go to work and see happy residents, which is why we all do what we do at the end of the day. 

The company as a whole is a very large organization which has some truly amazing individuals in it's ranks, right from carers to directors, and working for Runwood has always been a pleasure because of those people.

The training that Runwood offers is comprehensive and the Dementia Services Team are a well needed and forward thinking resource, though it sometimes felt that higher management underappreciated their strength and the value of the support they offer to the homes. 

Career progression opportunities are there for the taking and training is provided and offered to further progress individuals. 
The support from Head Office is amazing and I can honestly say that the staff in HR and payroll are a huge support and help to those in Admin and Management roles.

One negative I have is the lack of consistency in regional management, having had at least 6 in the three years I have worked there. (This is not to say that any of them weren't good at what they did.)

All in all, Runwood are a good company to work for. The support is there and the company has tried and tested systems and procedures in place to ensure good care delivery is paramount within the homes and staff wellbeing is supported. I loved my time at Runwood and if I hadn't have been so impatient, wanting to take the next step in my career right now, I would still be there.

Depending on what shift your doing, the morning shift your assisting residents to get up for the day, Helping the resident choose there clothes for the day, assist  with washing & all personal care, taking them down to the dinning room for breakfast, asking what they would like for breakfast, preparing it & serving. Once all the residents are up, i spend time in the dinning room, assisting with who ever may need help. once the medication is completed we assist all the residents to the toilet then into there lounges & made comfortable,in we will then take the meal menu around for that day, giving the resident a choice of meal they would prefer that day..once all are relaxed one carer will assist with bathing a resident, then we prepare the tea trolley, and serve tea, coffee or a cold drink to every resident and offer a choice of biscuits. once that is done we set the dinning room tables up for our lunch. then we get time to spend with the residents either chatting or having a sing song.Then its coming up for lunch time, so we will start to toilet the residents, and assisting them to there tables in the dinning room for lunch which we then serve up the meals and a choice of drinks. during lunch we will assist with any resident that needs help. once lunch and medication is over we assist residents to the toilet and back into there lounges or some may wish to join in with activities once all are relaxed and happy then it is time for us to do our daily care plans for each resident.then that brings us up to the time our shift finishes..

On a day to day basis, my role would be to assist the residents with personal care as well as cater to their nutritional needs. I would also be responsible for cleaning during a night shift as well as assisting with roles that were not necessarily in my job description when the situation called for it. I learned a lot from this role, such as patience and understanding with different types of people, as well as how to handle difficult situations. We specialised in dementia care, so I learned how to do my job whilst maintaining dignity and respect for the residents, promoting choice and independence.

I got on well with my co workers and I enjoy working with a team. I also was able to work well with the management team, often communicating with them about happenings on the shift. 

I found that the hardest part of the job was how engaging the job was and how I got to meet and know some of the most interesting people that I have ever met. However, I found it difficult to speak with the families of the residents when their relative passed away. I also found it extremely stressful when we were understaffed, which happened often.

Manager keeps poor and nasty staff on as they don’t have the spine to stand up to them or put their food down. Manager allows staff to bully eachother and continues to let them work in the home. Manager doesn’t run the home, it’s whoever is in their ear. If you kiss up enough then you’ll get what you want. Manager would rather see staff short than get agency in as if they keep staff costs down, they get a nice bonus at Christmas. I could go on and on about how we were treated over the pandemic as the staff who stayed and worked got nothing in return. In this place it is whoever shouts the loudest wins so if you have a bad attitude then you’re rewarded yet the ones who care and give their all end up shafted or overlooked. One rule for one and one for another. Staff are given holidays and then told that they owe money to the company because the holidays they’ve been allowed to take haven’t been accrued. Carers are expected to do job of activity coordinators as well as their own job and activity’s are not carried out with ALL residents (only the ‘nice/easy ones) I’ve seen them put things in front of residents, take a photo to look good and then take the thing away. Residents pay £600+ per week to stay here and the standard of food and activity / stimulation is poor for that price. Not a good environment to work in. 

Please do not apply to work here. The company do not care about their staff. The pay is pathetic for the amount of paperwork and physical labour you do in a 12 hour shift. Yes you get your designated breaks, but inbetween that you do not stop running around, sweating and getting no support. As long as the staff to resident ratio is met they dont care about you. You are constantly contacted on days off and A/L asking to cover a shift. Important information is shared via whatsapp, youre not allowed to take a day or a few days off at a time it must be a week at least. THEY DONT TELL YOU WHEN YOU DONT HAVE ENOUGH A/L SO YOU END UP NOT GETTING PAID - staff are expected to keep track of this. They also make you take more A/L than you asked for. You go to your seniors/ management with ideas/ suggestions/ complaints and they go ignored. Staff turnover is huge - the staff who do stay are two faced and will throw you under the bus to gain brownie points with management. Majority of staff do nothing but yap and moan constantly - but I guess this is to be expected since management dont listen - but this constant unhappiness depletes moral like crazy so you always go on shift in a terrible mood. This place will be a stain on your CV.

I was a line manager leading a staff of over 20 carers in the community to care for the elderly and disabled in their own homes. I kept detailed accurate records, led staff supervisions, worked closely with other professional bodies and attended reviews, hospital appointments and annual meetings with families and social services. I enjoyed working here as part of a team and ensured every one felt valued. I would often go out caring myself when short staffed and enjoyed meeting the clients and getting to know them. I have high standards when it comes to personal care and insisted each member of staff met these at all times. I was always available to speak to staff or clients should they need me. I would be on call every 2 weeks for 24hrs a day for 7 days and would deal with any emergency calmly and professionally. The senior management were supportive and I felt this at all times. They were approachable and helpful always. I did not enjoy having to lead disciplinarys against staff members, but it was part of my role and I dealt with it sensitively and professionally at all times. I enjoyed seeing happy staff and happy clients, that is what matters most in care.

I would not recommend this company to anyone with children or other obligations as they do not have flexible working hours for anyone. You as an employee have to be flexible for them but they do not be flexible with you. They do not care about staff nor residents it’s all about filling beds and making profit. The rate of pay is absolutely rubbish for the workload you are given. You are expected to be a carer and domestic for you wage.  If you have any concerns they don’t want to know and will always back management even if they are in the wrong. If you don’t like how things are being done you are told you know where the door is. They hire young staff to try and push out the older staff with experience. You are put down for extra shifts without being asked. There are differences made between the units by how each unit is treated by management so if you are lucky enough to be on the unit they like them you are a step ahead of the other units. They get treats for all their hard work whilst the other unit’s get nothing. The rewarding part is helping the residents and seeing them smile that’s the best part for me and knowing I can make a difference in their lives at this very difficult and unpredictable time. 

I have worked for this company for 21 years and never had a day when i did not want to get up and go to work i enjoy every day as no day is the same which i find refreshing we have lots of fun and laughter even when we have difficulties we all pull together as a team and try to resolve issues quickly.
Runwood as a company are always there to support and lend a hand in difficult times which is not so in a lot of companies.
Good care and achievements are always rewarded by the company and hard work and commitment is always noted. 
Our main priority is always our residents and ensuring they have the best possible life we can give them whilst supporting and assisting them with the correct level of care we always try to ensure they maintain their dignity and independence.

The most difficult part of our job is the record keeping and paper work which has expanded greatly over the years but the benefit of working with the residents out weighs the negatives the residents are loving and give so much back and we as a team have learnt so much from the chats and fun we have with them.
I feel very lucky to have been given the chance and opportunity to work for this company.

Management have no clue on how to manage. Contact staff at any time of day or night with useless information or just blindly forwards emails to staff. No compassion from manager and does not care for the staff at all. A little gratitude goes along way. 
Management has too many sheep in the building that spy and cause problems through out the home. 
When you have an issue with a colleague she will tell you who reported you which makes situations a lot worse. 
Makes own “company policy” rules and will threaten with warnings or higher ups, to those who do not follow suit, but if your a kiss up you can do anything. 
I’m surprised no higher ups have done anything about the management but they all seem as clueless sometimes. 
Do not work here under current management as your life will just be one long shift. 

When you read a good review, do not believe it as these are put up straight after bad ones by the management team themselves.
The majority of current staff would most likely not be working here if it wasn’t for covid and there has been a loss in 20+ staff in the last 2-3 months. 

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Registered nurse 36 salaries reported	£22.49 per hour
Care assistant 410 salaries reported	£12.39 per hour
Care team leader 125 salaries reported	£13.71 per hour
Deputy manager 22 salaries reported	£14.64 per hour
Domestic assistant 158 salaries reported	£12.41 per hour

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