caregiver

care team leader

registered nurse

nurse

deputy manager

The Orders of St Johns Care Trust

The Order of St Johns is a long established and reputable Organisation formed along the Christian belief system which has now been all but discarded by the organisation. They send employees on a wide range of short courses (typically half a days) and issue out pretty certificates to show course completion. The Offices and presentation of the establishment is always good and the gardens well manicured - superficially the homes and staff look excellent and Professional. 

Image however is seldom reality and all that looks like Gold is not!

The home I work in for the Order of St Johns is all about varnish with little concern for Patient care or needs and dreadful office politics. Specifically, in my experience clients were left in the lounge areas until the 'universal group' bedtimes, even if they were clearly uncomfortable or begging to be taken to their rooms - this upset me as I was not allowed to help them even though some were clearly distressed at being left in front of a television in the lounge. Client requests were also ignored in other areas if they didn't fit in with the one size fits all schedule of the big organisation. Overall, I felt it was not a home I would wish to put any relative of mine in.

We were almost invariably understaffed usually by around 25% which meant everyone either had to rush their tasks or simply neglect something/someone. Senior Carers seldom helped and seemed more interested in ordering others around or 'gassing'. Management culture was again all about 'window dressing' so all looked good but in reality was slack and disorganised. When we have staff meetings everybody is too scared to say anything even though we all know it's wrong. Office politics both between staff and management are typically petty, backstabbing and unpleasant.

You do at least get fed and the Kitchens produce nice food but overall I felt clients are simply treated as conveyor belt items, no attemptis made to acede to anything other than the most basic of requests, especially if it falls outside of the rigid timetable and the staff are by and large pretty lazy, especially the Senior Carers. I do not enjoy working here and feel for the clients especially. In a nutshell how would I rate the Orders of St John?

Good image and superfically everything you could wish for but in reality it is nothing more than high quality Varnish applied by insincere management on a rotting wooden frame . . .

Offsted however are easily led . . .

I got on really well with the staff lovely hard working ladies,
I still in contact with them today and of course everywhere you go there is always going to be one person that has nothing else better to do rather than wasting time gossiping about other people but you need to be strong and remember that work is more important than wasting time getting upset about something that is worthless.

To be honest with you it depends on which home you are working for I did residential care; it definitely make you lose weight: long hours, under staff,rushing and super challenging situations.

 I also worked in a extra care housing; I loved it, Because you do get better hours and feel welcome at the environment.

The most enjoyable part of the job is when you get the chance to talk to the residents and get to hear their lovely stories and have a laugh with them.

The downside is because I needed maximum 25hours a week and they only offered bank staff or full time 40hours plus.

I believe every Care Home have got its own issues, there is not such a thing as perfect care home!! you will need to work for many different companies to find out yourself.

In General I think the OSJCT its a good company they offer training opportunities which will help individuals progress on their career. Some of the management team simple don't listen to their staff about improvements, if you are a aggressive person they might listen to you, normally it tends to be from someone at the same level of pay if its a care leader,manager or similar them they're more likely to help.

 I think is very important for the home to often have staff meetings also one to one for the people who are not so comfortable around others to express their feelings.

Every home with the OSJCT works differently from others...
I think they should increase their rate of pay for the staff, because most people who works for the OSJCT do a fantastic job but they struggle a lot with bills and can never have a holiday abroad.

This message is for the CEO you need to trust your staff, sometimes the person who is doing things wrong its someone higher up it could be someone from the management team, maybe invest some money on a decent camera, keep records about anything serious and ask someone who doesn't work with the company to have a look at the video so every one will be treated fairly.

upon starting everyone was very nice to me and made me feel welcome, it wasnt until my first 1-1 (which you find yourself in more 1-1's than you do actually doing your job) where I was confronted with lie after lie that other members of staff had made up and told upper management, who were very passive agressive making it out like they cared about you and your wellbeing but really had no cares to give (ironic for a trust dedicated to care), every single 1-1 I had left me feeling defeated and feeling like no matter what I did it was never right, and no longer wanting to work where I was based, not because of the people we support, but because of how toxic management is and how bad the gossip culture is, every single word you say will get spun and work its way through every member of staff at fremantle until the twisted version circles its way back to you about a month later. After working there over 6 months i still had hardly any friends within work and only 1 person i could trust who i knew wouldnt either snake on me or spread nasty and damaging rumors about my personal life. overall, the people we support are not the issue and the majority of them are very sweet, kind and thankful for what we do, but its the staff and management who ruin it for people, especially young people who are very new not just to care work but to the working world itself. nine times out of 10 you would arrive to your shift and find out your understaffed because they couldnt cover a shift or the one other person who was supposed to be on was moved into community so your shifts were rarely stable and stress free and management resented having to leave the office to help run the floor when your short staffed, they expected us to do everything for everyone whilst still encouraging and prompting them to do things independently within a small time frame and instead of appraisal for what was done, you were made to feel useless because one thing out of a thousand things was missed, overall, i do not recommend working for fremantle trust and if you make the mistake of applying and getting the job, do not trust anyone until you sus everyone out first because someone may seem nice but all there looking for is another newbie to suck juicy gossip out of to go and tell their little clique or their upper management bestie

Typical day:
On the morning shift, you get into work for 07:30 for the handover of keys and responsibility with the night shift staff (usually over a cup of tea). You then have approximately two hours to make a start on the day's communal cleaning duties (such as sanitising the handrails and cleaning the windows), before you head up to begin the first of the apartment cleans at 08:45. Each apartment (28 in all) is scheduled for one and a half hours' cleaning per week. Between the first and second apartment cleans, you have the chance for more communal clean (such as hoovering the floors), and then again after the second clean between 12:00 and 12:30 before collecting and serving lunch in the communal dining room for 12:45. At 13:30, we finish the morning shift, and usually hand the master keys to home manager.
On the night shift, you get into work for 16:00 for handover of keys an responsibility. At this time the home manager will leave for the day, while you head for the first apartment clean. At 17:30 you begin the second apartment clean, and finish this at 19:00. From that time (until 22:30) you carry on with the day's communal cleaning, including cleaning the kitchen, communal toilet, and finishing the hoovering. At 22:30, you perform a security check of the exterior of the home (making sure all doors are closed and placing padlocks on the garden gates), before heading up to the staff sleep room for the night. In the morning, you've to be downstairs in the office for 07:00, performing another security check and removing the padlocks, before making ready for the next staff member on-shift.

The most enjoyable part of the job is getting to know the residents. As you're in each apartment at least once a week, we get to know each resident on a personal level, learning how they personally want their apartments cleaned, and about their past experiences.

The hardest part is that as I'm working in an extra care home, the residents are obviously retired and there's always the chance that one of them could injure themselves and/or pass away. Personally, I have yet to attend to anyone who's passed, although I have aided a fair few who've accidentally fallen (in one case, a fractured hip), in which case we've all been trained in first aid, and are regularly required to attend training sessions.

The Orders Of St Johns Trust is a poor place to work. This is in no way a reflection on some of the select few who work as support workers in what is a tough place to work. The workload is astronomical and the management expect you to work on as a little as two carers for eleven people!! Or three carers for eighteen people!!! When this is raised to the management they remark that it is down to budgets, but they are happy enough to pay for two managers, because the first one can’t do his job, and all the office staff- which shows where their priorities lie. While we are talking about budgets, the powers that be decided to cut the food budgets, and this meant that residents were getting very little to eat, and in turn, lose weight- guess who gets the blame for that though. If you have worked at OSJ for a long time, you will get on well, as you are untouchable, however, if you’re new, be sure to expect to become a scapegoat for everything that goes on. You will work alongside people who will refuse to move units, which in turn, will leave other units understaffed- if you then ask them to move again they will threaten to hand in their notices. There is very little room to progress in the job, that is unless you are best friends with the Head Of Care, then you will get promotions left right and centre. Most residents are greeted by activities staff who do a marvellous job, and they cannot be faulted. In all, the problem lies with the management, and I believe that OSJ is a massive pyramid scheme where the carers do all the hard work and the management reap the benefits. Let’s not forget that the carers worked during a global pandemic on the frontline, and in return the management poured a box of celebrations onto a table and told the staff to take one chocolate each. In truth, you will meet some amazing residents in OSJ but that’s about as far as the benefits go, I would say avoid at all costs, but that would be unfair on the residents who need the care. Just know what you’re getting into when working for this company, and if you feel that you have the willpower to come home everyday feeling like you want to cry, this is the job for you 

After years of experience I highly advise against getting a job at that care home. Poor management, incompetent and unable to properly run the place, having no control over staff. Absolutely NO CONFIDENTIALITY! Bullying from management is a common thing at that place. Carers are treated with disrespect, in a very unfair and humiliating way. If your face doesn't fit, you get treated like a piece of sh... and everything is being done to get rid of you. Dedication and good work of true carers is never recognisable, only those, who are a part of 'management gang' get appreciated and praised! Smokers (management,housekeepers and kitchen staff) are allowed countless amount of breaks, being outside more, than actually working.Those, who don't smoke, are not allowed to sit down for few minutes and have a quick drink and at the time, when everyone else is outside, carers are expected to answer calls and deal with visitors. Carers are not only expected to do what's in their job description, but also do housekeepers job and kitchen staff job like cleaning residents' bedrooms, serving food etc. No separate room for staff to enjoy their break time that are ALWAYS DISTURBED by residents, visitors and management! Housekeepers don't clean the place properly, food is a very poor quality!!Kitchen is using the cheapest ingredients, hardly any fresh veg and fruit. Residents often complaining about food quality. Seniors and HOC sit in their office all the time, using their mobile phones while at work, not answering the door bell that is next to the office, but expecting carers, who could be busy with residents upstairs, to come down and see to the front door. They are sooo lazy!!! Boultham workers are not like family at all! The wages are poor comparing to workload and the conditions carers are working in. Overall OSJCT itself is a money making business, where staff and residents are the least important. I DON'T RECOMMEND WORKING AT BOULTHAM AND FOR OSJCT ITSELF!

Long term members of staff that have been there 15 plus years make what could be a lovely place to work really unbearable. They bully all new staff, and are determined to drive new staff out, where I worked I witnessed one of my team going off for weeks on end depressed because of how they were being treated by long term staff, another lady who had only been there six months being shouted out when she went in the laundry to get out and receiving racial abuse,  they also were spreading rumours, telling false tails to management about them. 

Even myself, I was ignored by old staff daily, excluded, shouted at in front of residents, treated with contempt and aggression, had false allocations made about me to the managers who just said “we know what they are like don't worry they always do this” but in a care home its not what you need, I over heard them plotting to get me out. 

I had long term members of staff from other departments being funny with me, male carers who have been there years barging me in the hallways of whom I don’t even know they're name. I was told my the nice short term members of my team and the care team that they have driven so many staff out, managers either don't or cant do anything about them, it feels like because of they're long service to the company they are untouchable. 

One young lad on my team who's parent works there was in with the bullies and was joining in spreading rumours and causing trouble, he barged past a new lad in the lift trying to intimidate him. And beyond this the long term staff just literally do what they want with no repercussion from management. 

Such a shame because take the long term staff away who are all bullies and in a massive click its a lovely work place where all the short term staff are really nice.

I would not recommend working here based on my experience. The workplace culture is not supportive, particularly when it comes to training new staff. Staff can be expected to take on significant responsibilities without being shown processes clearly from start to finish, and it often feels like people are simply thrown into the role and expected to know everything.

When mistakes or concerns arise, the focus can quickly turn to blame rather than identifying whether the staff member was properly trained and supported in the first place. This is particularly concerning in a care environment, where clear procedures and competency-based training are extremely important.

Management communication can also be rude and humiliating. I have experienced concerns being addressed in front of other staff and communication that I felt was belittling rather than constructive or professional.

Medication processes and MAR charts can also be disorganised and confusing, including handwritten amendments, which in my opinion increases the risk of errors if staff are not properly shown the system.

There are some supportive colleagues and I have learned from experienced staff members, but the overall training and management culture needs significant improvement. Staff should be properly shown procedures, supervised and supported before being held fully responsible for complex duties.

An enjoyable role supporting people live a happy comfortable life in their own home, including personal care, cleaning, cooking, shopping trips, days out, holidays.
*Lots of online training given but not followed up to see if you are competent in actually doing the role (which some are most definitely not)
*Only 1 or 2 training shadow shifts then left to your own devices to do the job.
*The 2 Service Managers are great and are truly dedicated to their roles and are very supportive, but they don’t see what goes on behind their backs. The so called Team Leaders / Supervisors are extremely lazy, not supportive and can’t be trusted as they make inappropriate negative comments about the service users, staff members, other Team Leaders including the Service Managers behind their backs, they are very“clicky” and if they don’t like you, you are either ignored or made to feel very uncomfortable, they need to be axed or completely retrained.
Some service users are treated badly, constantly being told to “get back in your flat” the service users have time slots when you can support them, and if they need help out of the time slot then it’s ‘tough’ most of the staff at the main site at Beanhill are lazy, drinking tea most of the shift in the staff room or smoking outside, this company is desperate for staff so will employ anyone who applies, most workers are only there for the money and are not actually interested in support work.


The job role certainly helps with personal development and gaining useful life skills even outside of the workplace, the pay itself isn't bad and the work load can typically be manageable when in a good team. HOWEVER, the work culture and environment itself is an issue, based on that alone i couldn't envision holding a position for the long term. 

Perhaps my own personality and outlooks warranted my perspective however i found that it was difficult to get along with other employees and management. There were times were older members of staff would take advantage of younger or less experienced staff members and talk to them in an insulting manner which is not at all acceptable, however bringing this up with management or other colleagues was difficult. The hardest part of the job was truly just dealing with other members of staff like mentioned above, senior/ older members of staff acting arrogantly or demeaningly to others and ruining their self esteem and confidence in the service they were providing to residents.

On the bright side, working interpersonally with residents is an enriching experience and cultivates working with empathy and care. Strictly speaking about the nature of the role, with a cohesive team the work is not difficult however there were plenty of times were this location experienced bad understaffing, making the beginning of every shift have people on edge. constant worry about having enough colleagues to work a unit was an issue. otherwise shift times and days were very flexible and pay was always on time.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Caregiver 1156 salaries reported	£13.72 per hour
Care team leader 243 salaries reported	£15.87 per hour
Registered nurse 2 salaries reported	£15.25 per hour
Nurse 162 salaries reported	£24.24 per hour
Deputy manager 25 salaries reported	£43,932 per year

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