Anyone work for family-run care homes? What's it like?

[Ruthandroses]

For some backstory, I've worked in the NHS a few years. Currently part time (to fit around my kids) but my workplace is tricky to reach from home, I rarely get to leave work "on time" and I'm constantly bombarded with stuff to do on my 3 days off. I'm the only admin person for the whole team. The rest of the teams are doctors and nurses, none of whom do their own admin. I've raised this with my manager several time but he just says "don't worry, just do what you can..". I feel completely stressed about the never ending work. Considering it's only 2 days per week it takes over my entire week and I'm starting to resent it. It's making me ill with stress and worry. My manager has recently asked if I've consider going full time but I told him I can't as my kids are still too young. The workload is very clearly that of a full time person, not part timer like me. They hired a part timer to "save money" I think :(

I've been applying for jobs recently and received a call today about a local one (just round the corner from home). It's an office job at a local care home for the elderly. They invited me in for an interview tomorrow. Although this job would be great in terms of location, would I be foolish to leave the NHS and go to a family-run private care home? Worried about things like lack of union, rights to annual leave, sick pay.. that kind of thing. Also pension. My family think I'd be crazy to consider leaving the NHS to go working in a small family-run care home, they think I could be exploited (ie: cash in hand, no proper contract etc). Would be nice to hear from anyone who works in this kind of setting.

Not me but son of a friend works in a smallish care home. Of course he has a proper contract and gets paid legally, that seems a strange thing to worry about, why would anyone assume that private employers act illegally?

But, care homes aren't an homogenous entity, each one will be different, I'd suggest trying to speak to someone who works at the one you are looking at if you are concerned, what happens at a different one wouldn't be of any use.

Good heavens, you seem to have a very poor opinion of what happens outside the NHS! Why on earth would you assume by default that you wouldn't have a contract, rights to annual leave etc in any privately-run company? The care home will be subject to many checks and regulatory requirements you know, it's not someone running a sideline from their kitchen table!

Go to the interview, use it as the two-way process it is intended to be to find out about the home, the management and owners. You can only assess it on its own merits, each one will be different to any others so anyone coming along to advise can only speak to their experience of another home which may operate completely differently.