FAQ
Q. I am worried about managing my own Tax and National Insurance- will assistance be provided?
We aim to help as much as we can with Tax and NI. We keep full and comprehensive records of all work and travel completed with CareMatch. This enables us to give you an accurate figure of what you have earned through the service and what you can claim for expenses. We plan to hold annual workshops, which will be available to all members, to assist with the end of year returns due. We advise all carers to put some money aside to cover their eventual Tax and NI expenses. We are always here to help.
Q. How does the CareMatch Hub work?
At CareMatch we set up Care Hubs for each client. This is a group of individuals who are responsible for the care and well-being of the client. The Hub usually consists of the client (if able), family members and a small care team. Once each client has a Care Hub everyone is able to communicate with each other and follow a clients “care journey,” on an ongoing basis. It is an extremely useful forum to share information and keep everyone informed at all times.
Q.Which areas of the UK do you cover?
For live-in services we cover care packages nationally. For home care, at present we cover West Sussex, West Berkshire, South Wales, Wiltshire, Avon, and Hampshire. We are expanding all the time so please contact us if we are not in your area yet.
Q. Do you provide live-in care?
Yes, we do offer a live-in service in England and Wales.
Q. What happens if I don’t get on with my client?
If you don’t get on with your client, you would need to let the client and family know that you are unable to continue as one of their Carer members. You should be aware that you have a duty of care and to ensure the safety of the client. Therefore you must make sure there is an alternative in place to cover your calls before you withdraw from a package.
Q. What happens if I go sick or go on holiday?
As you have a team involved in every clients’ Care Hub, you approach the team to cover your sickness or holiday. If no one in the Hub is able to cover, you will need to approach the local carer community to help. If you are unable to cover a call you have allocated to yourself you will need to ensure that the call is covered, either by your fellow team or the family and the client is safe. You may know of other carers working for other services and if they wish to help you out they must apply to register with CareMatch first before they can cover for you.
Q. Will my travelling expenses get paid separately?
You receive £2.16/call to cover your travel and welcome. This should be sufficient to cover your travel expenses. Obviously when it comes to doing a tax return you can offset expenses such as travel against your taxable income.
Q. When will I get paid?
You will receive your pay directly into your CareMatch account after successful tagging. This means as long as you use the App to “tag” into and out of a call your account will be credited the correct amount. If there is a query on your tagging you will need to speak to a member from CareMatch who will be able to deal with the query.
Q. How do I get paid?
Clients pay a week in advance on contracted hours. The funds are held in a secure account and released to carers following completion of the contracted hours. Carers will be paid by bacs transfer into their bank accounts on Fridays, via the secure stripe payment system.
Q. How much will I get paid?
As you are self employed you are able to put your own rate on your profile. Currently our suggested rate is £13.00/hr + £2.16/call. The call rate is designed to give you enough to cover your travel and welcome and is chargeable for every call regardless of the length. CareMatch charges will be higher than your pay rate to cover our administrative and technical costs.
Q. Can I choose my own clients?
Yes, you can choose your own clients.
Q. Do I need a driving licence/car?
No, not necessarily. Although if you work in a rural area it may be essential.
Q. Do you offer flexible hours (full time/part time hours?)
Yes, at CareMatch you are in complete control of the hours and days that you work.
Q. Who are the clients of CareMatch?
Any person in the UK who requires some form of domiciliary care, or any institution that requires experienced care workers.
Q. How do I upload documents and certificates to my account?
There is an electronic form that will enable you to upload a picture or scanned version of your documents. Should you require any assistance, our IT dept will be able to help.
Q. How many references do I need?
Ideally two and preferably one who was your last employer involved in care. At least one of your references should be a resident in the UK.
Q. Will I receive full training and do I have to pay for my training?
At CareMatch we offer full training for inexperienced carers, refresher courses for experienced carers and updates for all mandatory training. This is either available online or with one of our experienced trainers at one of our training rooms. Carers will pay for their training but we do operate a credit scheme, where you gain credits for the hours you work. These credits are then refundable against your future training. For full details of the scheme please contact us.
Q. Do I need to have previous care experience?
No. One of our aims is to attract new care workers into the care sector. However, the more experience you have and the better your reviews and references are, the easier you will find it to acquire clients and charge a higher rate.
Q. Why am I getting a message "Your account is under review" when I try to login?
Once you have registered and confirmed this through the validation link sent via email, your Carer membership will need to be approved. Once this is complete, we will let you know and you can login.
