93 care employers in Wokingham could find you

Working in care in Wokingham

Growing fast and spread across a dozen villages: caring in Wokingham borough

Wokingham borough is more than its market town. Earley and Woodley sit right against the eastern side of Reading, while Twyford, Wargrave, Finchampstead, Arborfield and Shinfield fill out the rest, and Crowthorne is split with Bracknell Forest. Plenty of care employers carry a Reading or Wokingham postal address, which is why Crowthorne, with 14, is the only place that stands out on its own in the figures above.

This is one of the quickest growing parts of the South East. ONS Census 2021 figures show the population rose by about 23,100 in ten years, the third largest percentage rise in the region, with much of the new housing going on large sites such as the former Arborfield Garrison. New neighbourhoods bring new households who need support at home, and home care agencies already make up just over half of local care employers. Moving between villages usually means driving, so it helps to say clearly whether you have a car.

Wokingham Borough Council's direct payments section has its own guidance for people employing a carer or personal assistant, covering private and self employed carers, payroll and employment checks. In plain terms, people here do hire their own PAs, which can mean regular hours with one person rather than a busy round.

On the NHS side, Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust runs the Royal Berkshire Hospital in central Reading, and Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust runs Wokingham Hospital on Barkham Road, with rehabilitation wards and an adolescent mental health unit. Bracknell and Wokingham College offers a Health and Social Care pathway with a training hospital ward and a home care flat, and arranges placements with local NHS partners.

89% of the inspected care employers in Wokingham are rated Good or Outstanding by the CQC, above the 84% across the South East and above England as a whole (85%).