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Care Coordinator Jobs
A Care Coordinator is a trained professional who helps to manage aspects of a person’s care and support.
The duties of a Care Coordinator job can be incredibly varied. They play a vital role in ensuring services run smoothly by organising rotas, covering shifts and communicating with everyone involved.
Every day is different at Alina Homecare! Many of our Care Coordinators find their job challenging but also extremely rewarding. An average week is split between working in the community and the office. Primary duties include coordinating rota changes, monitoring care and support in people’s homes, and liaising with people we support and their families.
If you’re considering becoming a Care Coordinator, read our guide to find out more about the role and what’s involved. If you’ve already decided to apply, you can skip ahead and get started now!
What does a Care Coordinator do?
The responsibilities and duties of a Care Coordinator are varied. The role also differs depending on whether you choose to work as a Home Care Coordinator or a Disability Support Coordinator.
The general responsibilities and duties of a Care Coordinator can include:
The split between office work and care calls varies. I can start my day visiting clients to deliver care in their homes and then spend the rest of my working day in the office. In our Team, we have certain tasks to be completed on set days; for example, Mondays are spent finalising rotas. We share the responsibility for on-call which is nice because it gives you a break throughout the week,” says Hollie, a Home Care Coordinator for our Cheltenham Team.
The role is mostly office based, with the opportunity to work from home. I usually start my day responding to emails from clients regarding any amendments to their rotas. I have set working hours, but these can change depending on whether shifts need to be covered. I interact with support staff by phone, text or email regarding rotas and upcoming shifts, and to inform them of any changes,” says Curtis, a Disability Support Coordinator for our Poole Team.
What is the difference between a Home Care and a Disability Support Coordinator?
Disability Support Coordinator
A Disability Support Coordinator oversees the provision of care and support to people with a range of learning and physical disabilities. The job involves working as part of a team to support service users, as well as monitoring the support provided and liaising with relevant stakeholders, such as local authorities.
Home Care Coordinator
Home Care Coordinator jobs are focused on facilitating care in a client’s own home, helping them live as independently as possible. Quite often, the job involves – but is not limited to – coordinating and arranging elderly care. Both roles work closely with the managers to organise rotas and cover shifts when needed.
Similar to Home Care, in Disability Support we support people living in their own homes, but we also provide support to people in assisted housing. We provide regular, daily visits or continuous support, which can include overnight and waking care. It depends on the needs and preferences of our service users,” says Curtis, a Disability Support Coordinator for our Poole Team.
What skills do you need as a Care Coordinator?
It’s important to be calm when things don’t always go to plan. You need to be organised – write everything down! Make plans and have everything set out for what you want/need to achieve that day. It’s essential to have systems in place so that things run as smoothly as possible,” says Hollie, a Home Care Coordinator for our Cheltenham Team.
What qualities do you need as a Care Coordinator?
Becoming a Care Coordinator isn’t just about experience. Most employers look for certain key qualities. If you apply for the job, make sure you convey these qualities in your cover letter and at an interview:
Empathy is probably the most important quality to have as a Home Care Coordinator – because you’re delivering care to elderly people, you need to be understanding and patient. Have a happy and optimistic attitude. Sometimes you’re the only person a client sees all day, so you want to make a positive difference to their day!” says Hollie, a Home Care Coordinator for our Cheltenham Team.
You need to have a positive attitude and a passion for doing the job. You’re constantly interacting with different types of people, both service users and Support Workers, so great people skills are important. You must be willing to work hard and get things sorted. Sometimes the job can be difficult so don’t take things too personally!” says Curtis, a Disability Support Coordinator for our Poole Team.
Quick questions
The role of a Care Coordinator is varied. Some primary duties include:
To learn more about the role in Alina Homecare, contact our Jobs Team now.
A Care Coordinator supports the management team to ensure the effective and successful running of the service. Working directly with the people receiving care and support and their families, they’ll liaise with other healthcare professionals, such as local authorities and the Care Quality Commission.
We have three Coordinators within our Team. We cover the Poole and Bournemouth areas so between us we oversee the different areas to make sure shifts are always covered. We share the responsibility of on-call during the week, but I’ve never felt alone or done an on-call shift where I haven’t felt supported by the Team,” says Curtis, a Disability Support Coordinator for our Poole Team.
The role of a Care Coordinator and a Manager is similar but with some key differences. Along with the responsibilities described above, a Manager delegates tasks to the Care Coordinator, but they have a higher level of responsibility.
Ultimately, a Manager is responsible for the overall running of the service and supervising all members of the team. They provide effective leadership and must ensure the service is fully compliant with internal and external standards. Managerial duties include recruiting new staff, attending internal and external meetings, and initiating financial, marketing and business plans to grow the service successfully.
A Care Coordinator job is primarily to support the Manager in running the service to ensure success.
A good Care Coordinator will have excellent communication skills as they’ll be working with a variety of different people within their own company and externally. They’ll have exceptional organisational abilities and the confidence to handle several tasks at once. They’ll be reliable and can build trusting relationships and be a great role model for other members of the team.
A Care Coordinator’s salary will vary from company to company, and in different locations. According to Indeed, the average salary for a Care Coordinator in the UK is around £26,000.1
At Alina Homecare, Care Coordinators receive a competitive salary with increased pay through career progression, as well as many other benefits when they join us. This salary varies depending on where they work and the Team they work with, Home Care or Disability Support. Learn more about a Care Coordinator job by getting in touch with our Jobs Team.
Due to the demands of the role, our Care Coordinator jobs are full-time and permanent. Often the job of a Care Coordinator can require some additional weekend work and flexibility. You’ll spend some time on-call and, on occasion, may need to work outside of your core hours.
All our office Teams are paid monthly on the last working day of the month. In addition to your monthly salary, you’ll enjoy great perks like enhanced weekend pay and an on-call premium, paid ongoing training, and paid annual leave.
To become a Care Coordinator for our Home Care Team, you will need a driving licence and access to a vehicle with business insurance. You will need to travel around the local area to visit clients in their own homes to carry out assessments or deliver care. You may also need to transport clients to hospital appointments or on shopping trips.
To become a Care Coordinator for our Disability Support Team, we don’t require a driving licence or access to a vehicle. If you don’t have a driving licence, then this may be the best option for you. Learn more by completing an application form to get in touch with our Disability Support Jobs Team.
When I started working for Alina Homecare, I didn’t drive and it wasn’t required. I was in the process of gaining my driving licence. If you apply for a Disability Support Coordinator role, it doesn’t matter how you get there as long as you get where you need to be on time!” says Curtis, a Disability Support Coordinator for our Poole Team.
Our Care Coordinator roles involve a mixture of working with your local Team and directly supporting people who rely on our services. You’ll spend time working in the office, but you’ll also spend time in the local community and visiting people at home. The duties of a Care Coordinator vary daily, so the exact amount of time spent doing one or the other will change.
Remember, the role of a Care Coordinator also depends on the job you apply for. If you aren’t sure whether to apply for a role in either of our Home Care or Disability Support Teams, complete our application form to learn more.
You could start your role within a few weeks. Once you apply, you’ll have a friendly telephone call with us before booking an interview with a Manager. If successful, you’ll then complete pre-employment checks such as a Disclose Barring Service (DBS) and we will contact your references.
Once we have all the required documentation from you, we will book you in for our exclusive induction training and your Alina Homecare journey will begin!
I applied for the job and then received a telephone call from someone in the Alina Homecare Jobs Team. They arranged a face-to-face interview with the Cheltenham Branch Manager. She was so nice and really put me at ease in the interview. I was then contacted the same day with the job offer!” says Hollie, a Home Care Coordinator for our Cheltenham Team.
You don’t need to already be a Care Coordinator to apply for one of our roles, but you will need professional experience in providing care and support. Ideally, this would be in a Home Care or Disability Support setting, but we welcome applicants if they have other similar experience.
When I joined Alina Homecare, I had no previous Care Coordinator experience. I did hold my Level 2 NVQ in Adult Health & Social Care. I had years of experience working with people with disabilities, but I wanted to learn something new and see the care sector from a different side,” says Hollie, a Home Care Coordinator for our Cheltenham Team.
When I started working for Alina Homecare, I had no previous experience as a Coordinator. However, I did have experience working as a Support Worker for over a year and a half. I’d previously worked in a SEND School for six months, supporting people from the ages of 3/4 up to 17/18,” says Curtis, a Disability Support Coordinator for our Poole Team.
Yes! We want you to be successful.
Our exclusive Alina Homecare Academy provides high quality training to help you do your job and develop your career. Our courses are designed to help you learn new skills and retain information that will help you thrive in your job role.
All our Academy trainers hold teaching qualifications, which means they know the best ways to help people develop and grow. As a result of our support, we see our Team members flourish in their roles, receiving promotions and praise from external professionals for their fantastic work.
I’ve gained experience in preparing rotas and planning, creating care plans, and organising digital records. I’ve learnt about a different side to care, such as providing care to clients in their own homes and administering medications. I’ve now started working towards my Level 3 NVQ qualification with the Alina Homecare Academy,” says Hollie, a Home Care Coordinator for our Cheltenham Team.
Advice from Coordinators at Alina Homecare
If you’ve read this far, you’ve already heard from Hollie, a Home Care Coordinator in our Cheltenham Team and Curtis, a Disability Support Coordinator in our Poole Team.
Hollie and Curtis both started working for Alina Homecare with no previous Care Coordinator work experience – they’ve learnt so much on the job! Read on for more of their first hand knowledge about their roles and what it’s like working for Alina Homecare.
Care Coordinator interview tips
If you’re interested in a Care Coordinator role, we’ve listed some questions below that you could be asked in an interview. These can help you combat those pre-interview nerves by having prepared answers to commonly asked questions!
With this question, the interviewer wants you to demonstrate your ability to organise workload. They want to see how well you can work under pressure while handling multiple tasks at once. In your reply, emphasise and demonstrate how you can communicate effectively with people to ensure the best possible care plan is in place for their needs.
A Care Coordinator has a duty of care to the people they support. You need to show the interviewer that you have great people skills and a willingness to provide quality care. You’ll want to show that you are empathetic and understand that each person has individual needs, but they all deserve to be treated with respect.
The interviewer wants to hear about your ability to listen to all parties and understand their point of view. In the end, they want to hear that you can handle difficult situations and make informed decisions about what is best for the person receiving care.
The interviewer may ask this because they want to hear about your problem solving skills and your ability to find an alternative solution when something doesn’t always go to plan. They want you to convince them you’re a great fit for the role because you’re persistent in putting the person’s needs first and arranging the best plan of care for them.
Your answer to this question can reveal your character and why you think you would be a perfect fit for the company. Discuss your strengths and mention qualities you have which would take you far in this role. Applying for a Care Coordinator role means you already have a caring nature and a passion for helping people, which is ultimately what they want to hear!
1. Indeed, “Care Coordinator salary in United Kingdom”, Reviewed 02 July 2024