96 care employers in Reading could find you

Working in care in Reading

Reading is bigger than its borough: what that means for carers

Reading feels like one large town, but the borough council only covers the middle of it. Earley and Woodley to the east come under Wokingham, while Calcot, Purley and Theale to the west belong to West Berkshire. So the care employers counted here are all inside a fairly small, busy patch, and the borough is among the most densely populated in England, according to the 2021 census. For carers that usually means short distances between calls, with buses running along the main roads into the centre.

Home care agencies make up most of the borough's care employers, outnumbering care homes by more than two to one, and there are only a handful of nursing homes. Reading is also young and growing: its population rose by about 12 per cent between the last two censuses and the median age was 35. It has become more diverse too, with 17.7 per cent of residents identifying as Asian or Asian British in 2021. Any languages you speak are worth adding to your profile.

Reading Borough Council lets people use a direct payment to hire a personal assistant themselves or to pay an agency. Its rules say a direct payment should not normally be used to pay a family member, partner, friend or anyone living in the same home unless the council agrees in writing, and that someone managing the payment on another person's behalf cannot also be their PA.

For NHS roles, Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust runs the Royal Berkshire Hospital, and Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust provides community and mental health services. Reading College, part of Activate Learning, runs Health and Social Care courses and has a Care Skills Training Centre with a six bed simulated hospital ward and a fully equipped home care room, so you can practise before your first shift.

73% of the inspected care employers in Reading are rated Good or Outstanding by the CQC, below the 84% across the South East and below England as a whole (85%).