Caring job but ridiculous hours - is this legal?

[Bloodybrambles]

I've recently got a job as a community carer (looking after mainly elderly in their own homes). I knew it would be a lot of long and unsociable hours which I was fully prepared to do.

This seems to be a typical day:

Arrive at a house (20 minutes away with mileage and time unpaid) at 6:30:
-one hour, then another hour call around the corner.
45 minute break then to another client 15 minutes away (unpaid mileage + time) for another hour.

1.5 hour 'break' then three lunch time calls for 30 minutes.

then 3.5 hour 'break'

for then four 30 minute calls for dinner.

Out the house at 6:10, back home at 6:30.

During the 'breaks' i'm allowed to what ever I want but after the final call before the break no mileage or travel time is paid same with after the break. Apart from the three hour wait there's no point me travelling home and even then what do I really do?

Therefore next week, I would have dedicated 72 hours to working (over 6 days) to be paid for 39 hours work.

The hours slightly differ as sometimes i'd be home at 11pm to be starting the next day at 6:10am. One day i'm working from my first call at 6:30am with my last being at 10:30pm with one day just being 'lunch calls'. My long day there's 17 hours i'm expected to be in work mode for 8.5 hours actually been paid for.

AIBU to think I need to give my head a wobble (and maybe management who seem to think we're SO lucky to get SO many breaks as they wouldn't be able to go and sit in Costa during the day?!)

Now you know the reality of the schedule, you need to decide if you want this job.

That’s the nature of the job. Take it or leave it.

All home care agencies have some kind of swindle like this. Definitely jack it in. The more you put up with it the shittier work they’ll give you. Go and work in a residential home for a fixed wage.

Of course it's legal. I worked in the office doing the rotas for carers that's just the job you signed up to. Its shit though I wouldn't do it personally.

I thought that under EU Law (not applicable for long) travel as part of the job had to be counted as working hours

But no I would ask for appointments to be close together. You could work a second job in all of that wasted time.

It's legal and for some people it can work well. Remember you can pick and chose your hours with an agency - lots of carers just work Breakfast and lunch calls- you don't have to do all day.

Its impossible to manage homecare rotas any other way. Every service user wants their breakfast call between 8-10 and lunch 12-1.30. Then no other visits required till the tea calls at 5-7 and then bed calls- and everyone request a 9pm bed call which is more than reasonable. But there arent enough care staff -s o they end up getting a bed call at 7. Its the fault of the commissioners in the Councils. They tender to the cheapest providers, not the quality ones.

I know someone with a job like this. A lot of 'empty' time in the day but not long enough to be able to do much or even drive home.
It's a lot of wasted time.
She has a lot of health issues because of this job - mental health issues, physical health issues. She is going to be the one needing a carer soon to be honest.

Yes travel time between appointments should be paid.

My employer always consults me on the people I visit and when I visit them. I am not forced to visit any client I don't want to.

I am able to choose how many hours a week I work.

I get paid for petrol used between each visit.

They are absolutely brilliant to work for and pay the best wage going, as far as I am aware.

I know not many companies are this good but maybe you could find a better one?

I thought there was a legal 11 hours between shifts requirement?

I’ve done it. It works great if you just want part time to fit around the kids - but full time would be a nightmare. I wouldn’t do it.

That is really the nature of the work although obviously some agencies are better than others . I think you need to be more specific about what you want to do and take it from there .

read this, it states very clearly that although many care workers are not paid for travel time, they should be and that government guidance is very clear

www.unison.org.uk/care-workers-your-rights/

It is not worth it, better to find another job.

That's the reality of care work.
I've been out of it a few years now but we did used to get paid mileage if we went out of area.
Make sure you give yourself a proper day off in the week to recover.
What you'll find is an hour call will be done in 50 minutes to enable you to be on time for your next call etc.
Its shit because people deserve the whole time but it's just not feasible.
Oh and at weekends your breaks will be filled with extra calls too.

That is terrible. No wonder social care is in such a state - treating staff like that. Find a job where you are valued. Care is hard yards and they are making it worse!

I’ve done the same job previously with exactly the same issues. No mileage paid, no travelling time paid as technically that is your break.

I did it for 5 years & in many ways loved the job. Your clients rely on you & you really do make a difference in their lives.

In my case I did further training and am now hospital based. I do miss community at times but the work/time given does in no way equal the wage paid.

I wouldn't like being a community carer because of wierd shift patterns like this. If you like the work though maybe you could look at getting some shifts in a care home?

Split shifts are common in care work.

Back to back shifts are common in care homes too.

So yes, it is totally legal, but there will be lots of other care jobs that don't require you to do split shifts. So decline this job and look for another one.

Many aspects are not legal - there has been changes in the last couple of years. You should be paid mileage and travel time between calls. You should also have at least an 11 hour break between shifts, so it's not legal to finish at 11 and start at 6/7 am.

Some unpaid breaks are acceptable, but nowhere near that many and you should receive at least NMW for the time you are at work, which I bet that you are not. This should be at least from the time that you arrive at your first call to the time you leave your last call, minus a maximum of say 2 hours for breaks during a full working day. The 3 hour break is difficult, but you could possibly go home then.

But people don't know their rights and there are a lot of shitty exploitative employers out there. And the 'I wish I had time to sit in Costa' comment is laughable. As if someone on carers wages can afford to sit around all day in Costa!

I used to that job and it was them same 7 years ago, I left my house at 6.30am and didnt finish my last call till 10pm so home for about half 10 (granted you could do what you wanted in the "breaks") and got paid about 6-8 hours. I'm sad it hasn't changed in all that time I loved my job but couldn't justify 16 hour days for half the pay, it's literally the only reason I left.

Split shifts are tough if you're full time. BIL is an agency carer, I was actually just chatting with him about how he manages the breaks. He said that in the morning break he runs errands and has an early lunch, and in the afternoon break he goes to the gym every day. He has a membership to a gym that has a few different sites and he can go to any of them depending on where his afternoon visits are supposed to be. I know he works with a single mum who uses the morning gap to go to the gym and the afternoon gap to pick her kids up from school and drop them at a childminders' for tea, then back out for the evening calls.