Is this legal?

munybuny

Hi, I hope someone can help me with this. I've just started working as a carer working in the community. I've been told that I'll be paid mileage but not time between my client visits. Sometimes there is just long enough to make the journey in time eg 15 mins between them, other times there is about 45 mins between but it's up to my Manager which shifts I get.


I'm sure I should be paid for this travel time too, but I'm not sure if it's the norm for this type of work.


Hope someone can help,
Thanks

cazziebo

Sadly it's not the norm in private care companies to pay for time between visits. I'd guess you're on a zero hours contract?

I do think it's terrible how little we value care. The alternative to home care - hospitalisation or residential care - is way more expensive and not usually what's best for people, or what they want.

wrightk

i used to work in the community and unfortunately this is completely normal, although it shouldnt be. sometimes id have half an hour inbetween clients and the rota would expect be to be there in 5 mins, or id have 2 hours in between clients when the next one was 5 mins away and obviously id only get paid when i arrived at the client.

i suppose its good that they are paying mileage though, as they dont technically have to, they can make you wait a year and you claim through dwp for the last years mileage. only other thing i could suggest is getting friendly with your colleagues as i did and swapping some shifts to suit e, sach other (if this is allowed)to you get a fuller and more convenient day for you, not the management

[Deleted User]

Yeah this is what I found, what they also don't tell you is mileage is paid in arrears! you only get paid for the visits you make

you have to also be careful of working hours - one week you could work 8 and the next 68! it was quite a shock when I started! nothing is guaranteed it seems

Your work partners may not necessarily all be drivers meaning you could be their taxi... and I'd hope you don't work for a company where you'll be taking service users shopping? (that definately requires an insurance amendment)

I have had to get a 2nd job to exist in domicilary care which I'm still thinking should really be 'my summer job' !!!, as there were to many occasions when I have had to choose between fuel for the car (because the care company have had me travelling miles away what with being a select few that could drive) and eating, never mind anything else

You'll need gaps in between the visits for toilet breaks yourself (trust me you will be grateful of the odd break here and there!) or see if you can lump rounds together - most care co-ordinators are happy for you to twick rota to suit to some degree

I have now done both domicilary and care home working and still really can't say which I think is better!

PRINCESSPOOR

I also used to work in domicilary care and the working conditions were exactly the same as already said. It was not at all unusual to start work as early as 6am, travel 70 (sometimes more) miles in the course of the day, finish as late as 10pm (sometimes later) but only get paid for 7 or 8 hours because of all the unpaid time travelling between calls and the also unpaid time hanging about sitting in my car miles from home waiting for the next call. This of course would be a good day, a bad day would be when some of your calls were cancelled and you'd only have a couple of hours work (spread throughout the day of course). I loved the actual work and found it very rewarding but I just found that after paying for petrol and the very long hours for very little pay it wasn't viable. It is no coincidence that there are plenty of jobs available for domicilary/community care workers, the staff turnover rate is horrendous. It's a huge shame because the people needing the care deserve better than the large number of different carers they see.

coin_operated_girl

about a year ago I had an interview/induction for a care in the community job (which I thankfully didn't have to take in the end). The job was on a zero hours contract- which I am assuming that is what you are on? We were told that we would not get paid in between the jobs. The way I understood it was that because the contract is zero hours rather than paying you between (say) 9am-5pm they will say "we have a job for you at 9am and another at 1pm etc", so you have to think of it as a string of little separate jobs rather than just one job- just like you wouldn't get paid in between jobs if you had loads of separate part time jobs, nor would you get paid to travel to any of these jobs...if that makes sense...