Paid travel time???

Bright_eyes

I have just accepted a job as a care worker for a private company. I agreed to work 30 hours per week. I have received my first days rota which is from 6:30 to 13:30. Out of this I only get paid for 4 hours 50 minutes, plus 25p per mile for petrol whilst using my own car to travel between the 8 appointments. Should I get paid for the travelling time between appointments? I can't afford to spend 1/2 my day driving around for free!!! Help please.

square-pants

I think this is how a lot of care agencies work.

It doesn't seem fair especially if they give you jobs that are quite far apart. Sometimes there is a lot of hanging around too i.e You finish one job at 1pm and the next person doesn't want you until 2pm. You won't get paid for this time either.

hkj01

Hi Bright eyes, check with the company that you work for. I have been a home care worker for about 9 months and we are paid for up to 15 minutes in between calls for 'travelling/waiting time'.
We are paid 20p per mile but have a read at this website, I will be claiming some tax relief on my mileage for the job, I am not great at explaining so just have a look. I did it last year and the HMRC amended my tax code accordingly.

PRINCESSPOOR

Hello Bright eyes. Unfortunately what you describe is typical for most homecare workers. I have done this kind of work for two different companies and they were both the same. Neither paid for time between calls and both expected you to work 14+ hour days, although paid for far fewer. I also drove up to 80 miles a day, made worse by having to pick up staff who did not drive, but I didn't get paid for all those miles. There is a massive turnover of staff in this kind of work and it's not difficult to see why. A real shame because I loved the work.

PRINCESSPOOR

Hello Bright eyes. Unfortunately what you describe is typical for most homecare workers. I have done this kind of work for two different companies and they were both the same. Neither paid for time between calls and both expected you to work 14+ hour days, although paid for far fewer. I also drove up to 80 miles a day, made worse by having to pick up staff who did not drive, but I didn't get paid for all those miles. There is a massive turnover of staff in this kind of work and it's not difficult to see why. A real shame because I loved the work.

SarahCarer

It's true and its a real shame that some care companies treat staff very badly. I was a carer for two years and conditions got worse and worse. So many great carers left and went on to other things. I'm doing a totally different job now too.

I loved the work as well and it's hard to leave when you build up a rapport with clients, especially elderly ones who may be a bit lonely.

I have the impression some care companies care about money, not staff or clients.

hkj01

hkj01 wrote: »

Hi Bright eyes, check with the company that you work for. I have been a home care worker for about 9 months and we are paid for up to 15 minutes in between calls for 'travelling/waiting time'.
We are paid 20p per mile but have a read at this website, I will be claiming some tax relief on my mileage for the job, I am not great at explaining so just have a look. I did it last year and the HMRC amended my tax code accordingly.

Just realised I didnt add the link to the HMRC website, it won't le me add it as I am new to this forum but if you have a look at claiming back mileage, that might help a little

datlex

Bright_eyes wrote: »

I have just accepted a job as a care worker for a private company. I agreed to work 30 hours per week. I have received my first days rota which is from 6:30 to 13:30. Out of this I only get paid for 4 hours 50 minutes, plus 25p per mile for petrol whilst using my own car to travel between the 8 appointments. Should I get paid for the travelling time between appointments? I can't afford to spend 1/2 my day driving around for free!!! Help please.

I don't understand how they can justify not paying you for the whole shift? Also you need proper insurance to drive on work business. You might also want to look into tax breaks.

geordie_joe

datlex wrote: »

I don't understand how they can justify not paying you for the whole shift?

They don't have to justify it, it was what was offered and what was accepted. All they have to do is congratulate themselves on getting a good deal.

lessonlearned

When my OH was still at home and we had carers to help look after him, the agencies would typically charge us between £12 to £16 per hour, paying the carers the min wage, £6-15 at the time, a measly mileage allowance and no travel time. Truly shocking.

I eventually found a lovely carer who became my husbands PA. When I interviewed her I asked if £7-50 was acceptable. She snatched my hand off, bless her.

When I asked her to work on bank holidays I paid her double time. Her previous agency paid her a miserly £0-50p extra for working a holiday and yet they charge the client double the normal rate.

Now of course the agency will have expenses and need to make some profit, but the way they exploit their staff and rip off their clients is truly disgraceful.

Bright Eyes - can you try and get yourself a one to one placement with someone who employs their carers direct.

I used to do this for my OH. He received Disability Direct and I managed the budgets for him, employing a couple of carers on a private basis and then using agencies to fill the gaps such as the early morning call and for emergencies when our regular carers were ill or on holiday.

It worked so much better for everyone, for my OH because he had proper continuity of care, rather than a constant stream of strangers. It was also better for the carers too because they got to know him, his needs and all his little quirks.

If you contact your local Disability Direct they might be able to help you find a one to one placement.

gemini12

The agency I worked for did not pay travel time but this was because the council would only pay them for the time worked and we had to phone in (to the council) when we arrived at a job and out before we left so the time spent with a client was to the minute.