FAQs
Personal care: We work discreetly with you to create an individual care plan to help you maintain your daily routine and do so in ways that respect your privacy and dignity. This can include washing, bathing, showering, helping with medication, applying lotions and creams, helping you get dressed or ready for bed, putting on make-up and hair care, oral care, support with all continence and catheter care.
Companionship care: Whether you’re having coffee with friends, walking the dog, visiting a garden centre, or tending to your garden, we design a plan to help you do it with greater independence, confidence, and peace of mind.
Support around your home: Prepare your meals and do the dishes, take you to the shops or help you buy what you need online, keep your home clean and tidy, pop a wash on, hang your washing out, and change your sheets.
Respite visits: If you need a break from caring for your loved one to go on holiday or just a bit of time out, we can step in with temporary care while they are away. Our expert carers will carry out your daily routine of care needs just as you like so you can have peace of mind that they’re in good hands.
It depends on the number of visits you need each week. We use a combination of defined ‘runs’ and regular teams of designated carers to provide you with the continuity of support you need. We aim for clients to have 75% of their care visits delivered by 4 team members.
To ensure you receive a local, familiar service, we purposely limit the size of our care teams. All carers are trained to a high-quality standard and have the dedication and compassion you expect as if a family member visiting your loved one.
Your visits will be designed to ensure enough time to provide the support you need safely and in a personal and unhurried manner. We have a minimum visit length of 30 minutes.
All our carers go through a full two-week induction and training programme. We offer our staff a fully funded Care Certificate (which all carers complete during their probation) and supported QCF Diploma in Health and Social Care courses. We also offer our carers training in a wide range of specialist topics related to their role. Carers also undertake a range of online courses and regular refresher training to ensure they are kept up to date.
The induction programme includes manual handling, first aid, dementia, and shadow shifts with experienced carers so that new starters are fully confident when they start their first solo shift.
Every client’s needs are different, and the cost of care will depend on the frequency and length of the visits needed. But below is our price list.
Weekdays
30mins – £26.75 / 45mins – £31.45/ 60mins – £34.85
Weekends
30mins – £29.95 / 45mins – £34.95 / 60mins – £38.95
We pride ourselves on being an ethical care provider and place emphasis on ensuring our staff are fairly paid for the work they do while keeping our prices as low as we can. We recognise that the need to pay for care often occurs at difficult times in our clients’ lives.
The cost of a care visit includes many elements, including fair pay rates for our staff (we’re accredited with the Living Wage Foundation), travel, training, supervision, PPE, management costs, and other overheads such as regulatory costs (we are regulated by the Care Quality Commission), offices, IT, and insurance.
80% of everything we charge goes on paying our team.
You will always know where you stand with us. Our prices always include the cost of the time we spend with you and the cost of the time and mileage relating to getting to and from your visits. We don’t charge for any reviews or assessments either.
We would only charge additional costs if they relate to extended visits or to travel involved during the visit, such as for a shopping trip or an outing, but that would all be agreed in advance.
Yes, absolutely; we provide visits 365 days a year between 7am and 10pm. We do not offer overnight or live-in care.
Our care management team will regularly update you on how your loved one is doing. In addition to regularly scheduled reviews, ad hoc phone calls/emails to keep you in the loop are common so you can have complete peace of mind that they’re in good hands. We’re also super easy to contact whenever you need to get hold of us for whatever reason.
Our simple, 4-step Confidence at Home plan is designed to give you both clarity that you will get the support you want and certainty about what it will cost. We’ll ensure that, before you make any decision, you have all the information you need and the confidence to know there won’t be any surprises.
We will work at your pace so that when you’re ready, you can make the decision that is right for you.
Step 1 – Arrange a phone consultation to discuss your needs and how we could help
Just give us a call or book a consultation, and we’ll call you back. We’ll discuss your particular situation and guide you through the options to ensure you get care and support that works for you.
Step 2 – We’ll visit you at home for a no-strings consultation
When you’re ready, we’ll visit you at home for a relaxed chat about your needs, the variety of services we offer, and how we work. We are very flexible and can work alongside family and friends to ensure you’re getting the care you want in the way best for you within your local community.
Step 3 – Receive a bespoke plan with clear costs
We will follow up with a detailed support proposal that includes a schedule of visits, clear costs to help you plan your personal budget, simple direct payments, and available start dates, fully personalised to your needs. We give you all the information you need to make the right decision for you and your care.
Step 4 – Start seeing the benefits of support and care in your own home
You can then make the right decision for you when you’re ready to execute it. This is key to feeling comfortable about introducing care and support into your life. Remember, too, that you don’t need to make a long-term commitment. You can change your mind or adjust the support you receive anytime. In no time, you’ll start to appreciate what difference support and care can make and get back to living happily, confidently, and safely at home.
There is always someone on hand to help. If it’s out of office hours, we have an on-call service between 6.30am and 10.30pm.
No, you won’t have any minimum contract; you can cancel at any time; we just ask for one week’s notice. You can also cancel any visit up to 48 hours before it is due to take place. When it comes to finding the right support, we understand how important flexibility is.
Absolutely. You can change the length or frequency of your visits anytime to ensure you have the support you need. We just ask for 48 hours’ notice if you wish to cancel or change a specific visit.
We work closely with you to define the best schedule for you and then build your visits accordingly.
As home care is a community service, it is impossible to commit to a specific time and achieve that for 100% of visits. However, you will have a designated time window in which your carer will visit, which will be within half an hour of your preferred time.
Give us a call on 0333 043 4880 or email enquiries@abneyandbaker.com, and your local Community Support Manager will give you a call back to discuss your requirements.
You will be supporting people in your community who need a bit of extra help to continue living happily and safely in their own homes.
The role includes personal care, support with medication and household tasks, accompanying clients to appointments, caring for their physical and emotional well-being, and encouraging them to participate in social activities.
We know some people can find the thought of personal care daunting, but it is just one element of the role. Often, a visit will include a mix of personal care, meal preparation, companionship, tidying the house, popping a wash on, etc. Our clients are often independent and just need prompting or a low level of help to ensure they keep themselves clean and fresh, so it’s more ‘enabling’ than ‘doing’.
Personal care can include:
- Help with washing, bathing, or showering
- Skincare, applying lotions and creams
- Helping you get dressed or ready for bed
- Putting on make-up and hair care
- Oral care
- Support with all continence and catheter care
We offer Guaranteed-Hour contracts as standard—no zero-hour contracts. Your minimum pay is guaranteed, so you know what to expect in your pay packet each month.
Yes, as this is a community-based role travelling to clients’ homes, you will need a full UK driving licence and access to a car for work.
From the very start, we made a commitment to fair and transparent pay and to fighting working poverty by always paying above the Real Living Wage.
We pay for your whole shift. You’ll be paid from the first minute of your first visit right through to the last minute of your last visit in each shift, regardless of any gaps. We also pay 45p a mile for travel.
● Weekdays (daytime): £12.30
● Weekdays (evening): £12.90
● Weekends (daytime): £13.80
● Weekends (evening): £14.50
● Plus, additional for Bank Holidays
● Average hourly pay: £13.00
● Full-time pay equivalent: Over £27,000
Every carer receives full shift pay, which means you’ll be paid for every minute of your shift (including any waiting time and gaps). So you won’t have an 8-hour shift and only get paid for 5 hours! Mileage is paid at the full 45p a mile.
You’ll be part of a care team that consists of a great mix of people who’ve entered the profession with different levels of experience and from many different backgrounds.
We recognise that caring isn’t a one-size-fits-all job, but everyone does have things in common: patience, kindness and empathy.
We look for people who share our 4 simple values:
● Do the right thing
● Do the best job you can
● Show everyone you care
● Reflect, learn, grow
It doesn’t matter if you’re new to care, have cared for a family member, are an experienced carer at a nursing home or residential care home or are a healthcare worker; we’d love to welcome you to our team.
You will start with a two-week paid induction and training programme. The induction programme includes manual handling, first aid, dementia, online courses and shadow shifts with experienced carers so that, as a new starter, you are fully confident when you start your first shift.
We also offer our staff a fully funded Care Certificate (which all carers complete during their probation) and supported QCF Diploma in Health and Social Care courses. We offer our carers training in a wide range of specialist topics related to their role.
We recruit on attitude, not experience; however, we do always offer those who haven’t done care before (or who have worked in a care home and haven’t travelled around to clients’ homes) the chance to pop out on a few ‘taster sessions’. These visits take place with an experienced carer on the team so you can see what it’s like day-to-day and get a real feel for whether it’s the right fit for you.
Your availability and personal commitments are important to us, and we value that. We won’t demand unreasonable hours or pressure you into picking up extra shifts. We offer a range of full—and part-time roles to suit your lifestyle.
Our shifts are a mix of 7am-3pm and 3pm-10pm, with full and part-time hours available.
It must include working alternate weekends. You’ll be paid the full hourly rate for your whole shift, regardless of any gaps. This includes all travel time and waiting time.
We will keep the clients you visit consistent, both for you and them, but it depends on the number of visits clients require each week. We use a combination of defined ‘runs’ and regular teams of designated carers to provide you with the continuity of support clients need. To ensure you receive a local, familiar service, we purposely limit the size of our care teams.
There’s no pressure to pick up overtime. If overtime shifts are available, they will be offered out to the team and you can pick one or more up if you wish. All overtime is paid at 25% above the standard hourly rate.
Ending the day feeling completely wiped out isn’t healthy and means you have no time to spend with family and friends and do the things you enjoy. This gets worse when you’re expected to cover shifts at the last minute or are made to feel guilty when you can’t.
We arrange realistic hours that fit around your life so you can achieve the right balance. We work with you to agree on your work pattern upfront so you know where you stand.
You’ll be part of a small local team with dedicated support from a Community Support Manager and Deputy Community Support Manager. We also hold regular team meetings, which are a great chance for your local team to get together, have a coffee and catch up.
Our internal Workplace (‘Facebook’ equivalent) is always buzzing with the latest team news, updates, and ways they’ve made a real difference, so you’ll never feel out of the loop. The team is hugely supportive of each other and often shares helpful tips and advice.
- Apply for a care and support team member role online.
- We’ll review your CV and then get in touch to arrange a chat or interview, usually within a day or two of you applying, so you won’t be left hanging around (as we know, there’s nothing worse!).
- Relaxed Interview – so we can find out more about you and you can see if we’re the right fit for you. It’s also a great chance for you to ask any questions you may have.
If you’re offered a job, we’ll book you onto our next induction as soon as possible. The entire two-week induction programme is fully paid for at the standard hourly rate, so you’ll be getting first-class training while you’re still being paid.
The induction involves training at our office (both presentation, exercise-based and practical sessions) as well as out in the community on shadow shifts with our experienced carers. So, by the end, you’ll feel confident and happy to get going.
- Early Pay Programme – access your pay within days of working a shift.
- Refer a Friend Bonus – our thank you for helping us find more great carers.
- Full Private Medical Insurance with the option to add your family.
- Earn an additional day of holiday allowance each year up to 33 days a year [based on full-time hours]
- Profit Share scheme – benefit from the company’s success.
- A fully paid two-week induction course and ongoing support so you’re totally confident when you start working with our clients.
- We pay for your DBS check, uniform, and PPE, and you’ll receive a great welcome pack during your induction.
Check out our high-rating Indeed reviews – https://uk.indeed.com/cmp/Abney-and-Baker?campaignid=mobvjcmp&from=mobviewjob&tk=1hpt9mturjv5t801&fromjk=4b29adcc2b1c7952
Great Place To Work certified – find out what our care team really think in this independent review process – https://www.abneyandbaker.com/our-blog/2023/12/1/how-we-achieved-great-place-to-work-certification-a-journey-of-excellence
Bath Life Employer Award – find out why we were winners of this prestigious award – https://www.abneyandbaker.com/our-blog/bathlifeawardwinners
Hear from our carers over on our YouTube channel – https://www.youtube.com/@abneyandbaker4513
With Deputy and Community Support Managers opportunities regularly opening up as we grow, there’s always a chance to take that next step. We believe in promoting from within; over 75% of our managers started as Carers with us.
Abney & Baker is a certified Great Place to Work based on independent feedback from our care team. This accreditation shows our commitment to treating our care team (and, in fact, all team members) well. Everyone here is valued, respected, and treated fairly.
● Do the right thing: When making choices, we will always go with the right thing rather than the easiest and go home proud at the end of each day.
● Do the best job you can: We believe that going the extra mile and doing more than is expected of us will make the most difference to our own and our clients’ lives.
● Show you care: The smallest gestures can have the greatest impact in making our world a better place. We seek opportunities to show others that we care.
● Reflect, learn, and grow: We believe that improving our service depends on our growth as individuals and as a business.
Yes, we offer both part-time and full-time work. We have a mix of shift times available: 7am-3pm and 3pm-10pm. You must be able to work alternate weekends.
Your availability will be discussed at the interview, and a work pattern will be agreed upon during your induction so you know what to expect and can achieve the work-life balance you deserve.
If you are offered a job on the team, it will be conditional on a full DBS being applied for and satisfactory references. We fully pay for the DBS, so it will be of no cost to you.
Give us a call on 0333 043 4880, email jobs@abneyandbaker.com or pop over to our application page to apply directly – https://www.abneyandbaker.com/application-form
Care at home means trusted professional home carers supporting you as much or as little as you need. It might mean a trip to the shops, doing a load of laundry or helping you shower and feel your best.
It’s not just for older people but for anyone over the age of 16 with care needs. We support anyone in the community who needs a little extra help to keep their independence and live safely and happily at home.
Getting the right level of care when you need it means you can stay longer in the familiar surroundings of your own home and live with greater independence, confidence, and peace of mind.
We provide care and support across Bath & North East Somerset and West Wiltshire including:
● Bath
● Keynsham
● Saltford
● Radstock
● Paulton
● Midsomer Norton
● Peasedown St John
● Trowbridge
● Bradford on Avon
● Frome
● Melksham
● Corsham
● Chippenham
● Devizes
If you are in a village surrounding one of these towns or on the outskirts of one of these areas, do still get in touch to see if we can support you.
We have three offices – one in Melksham town centre, one in Bath on Moorland Road and one in Paulton.
You may be eligible for some financial support for private homecare services from your local council and its social services department. Usually, the social care service assesses your needs and finances to determine what care you may require and how it’ll be paid for.
If you have to pay for home care, we clearly set our prices. You’ll always know exactly what your personalised range of services will cost before you make a final decision.
We offer a Guide to Funding care which explains the process further: https://abneyandbaker.com/guides/guide-to-funding-care-at-home/
All our care and support team members are employed. As employees they benefit from regular training, guaranteed hours contracts, full management support, full private medical insurance and much more.
No, we are family-owned, local and proud of the role we play in our communities. We employ all our carers from the local community.
Yes, we are registered with the CQC and have a ‘Good’ rating. Our full report can be viewed and downloaded from the CQC website – https://www.cqc.org.uk/location/1-3172645851
We’re changing the way care and support team members are treated. Since we set up Abney & Baker in 2015, we’ve been taking a stance against individuals who are undervalued and lack the respect and recognition they deserve.
We have staff turnover levels roughly half that of the national average for the care industry because we treat our carers with the respect they deserve.
Our Collaborative Care programme provides comprehensive support alongside family members, helping families maintain their connection with their loved ones while ensuring the best possible care.
By blending professional caregivers with family involvement, we create a nurturing and supportive environment that benefits everyone involved.
The benefits of Collaborative Care include improved work-life balance for family caregivers, enhanced emotional well-being and reduced stress, strengthened relationships and deeper connections, high-quality, personalised care for your loved one and support from a team of compassionate professionals.
Get in touch
Do not hesitate to get in touch with any concerns or queries you may have.
Our team is happy to help over the phone or will get back to your message ASAP. Let us know how we can help you and your loved ones.
