Starting a new job can be scary, but you can make it easier for yourself by learning everything about your field in advance. As a care worker in the UK, you will be responsible for looking after patients in a hospital or care home. However, before you sign up for the job, you should know what to expect from the industry.
One of the most common questions that care staff wants to know the answer to is work hours. In this article, we will answer this question to help you prepare for the role of a care staff.
What Are The Maximum Work Hours for Care Staff In the UK?
In the UK, thanks to the Working Time Directive (WTD) law, workers don’t have to work more than 48 hours a week on average. The law ensures that workers can get enough time to rest in between their shifts. There are a few exceptions to this law like emergency workers, but it does apply to care staff.
As a care worker, you will be entitled to regular breaks during work. Even agency workers are protected from working unnecessarily long hours under the WTD law. If you are under 18, you cannot work more than 40 hours a week on average.
Knowing your rights as a care staff will enable you to give your best to your patients without compromising on your health. Now that you are aware of the WTD law, you can avoid working for agencies that don’t protect the rights of their employees.
How Many Hours Can Care Staff Work Per Day?
Although the law mentions the average working hours for a week, there are no regulations about the daily breakdown of these hours. As a result, employers and care staff can negotiate the details before signing a contract.
A hospital or care home won’t feel any legal repercussions for giving 12-hour shifts to their employees. However, shifts usually don’t last longer than 11 hours. It is also advisable for the health of care staff that they don’t work extremely long hours and get to rest between shifts.
If there’s an issue with the shift handover, care staff can continue to look after their patients. However, if a care worker feels like they cannot continue to work due to fatigue, they can let the higher-ups know, who can then make arrangements with the help of a nursing agency.
What Constitutes Working Time?
It is important to understand what is considered working time in the care industry. Every hospital and care home will have its own rules regarding this issue. But if you are well aware of your rights as a care worker, you can easily avoid getting into jobs that are exploitative in nature.
Generally, along with regular working hours, time spent training, and time spent traveling for the job are also consider working time. The details of what constitutes working time will be add to your contract by the employer. So, when you are offere the contract, make sure to review it thoroughly before signing.
What is the Rest Period for Care Staff?
The Working Time Regulations (WTR) law has mention the rest period that a worker in the UK is entitle to. As a care staff, you will be entitle to a daily rest period of 11 hours. The rest should be uninterrupte and should help you recharge before your next shift.
Care staff are also entitle to one off day per week or two off days every 14 days. The details of your off days will be mention in the contract.
Along with the rest period, the WTR law also mentions that a worker will be entitle to a break of 20 minutes if their shift exceeds six hours. It is important to remember that as a care staff, it is your right to have a break that is uninterrupt and away from your workstation.
Bottom Line:
Maximum working hours are fix in the UK for every worker including care staff. However, there are still some ways in which workers can be trick by employers. When care professionals choose a reliable agency like ESGO, they won’t have to worry about working long hours. ESGO makes sure that its nursing staff gets to enjoy plenty of rest between shifts. ESGO will also protect its care staff from getting overwork. So, as long as you pick the right agency, you can rest assure that your rights as a care staff are protect.
