Housekeeper / Laundry Assistant in Calcot

Friends of the Elderly (FotE) is a not-for-profit charity dedicated to providing excellent care with a family feel, supporting older people for over 120 years. The charity provides care home and day care services for older people, as well as grants for those in financial difficulty.

Friends Place, Calcot is more than just a care home; it’s a vibrant, welcoming community designed to provide exceptional residential, dementia, and respite care. Run by Friends of the Elderly, we pride ourselves on delivering personalised, compassionate care in a state-of-the-art facility. Located in the heart of Calcot, Reading, our home features a cinema, a salon, a tea room, and a vibrant bar designed to create a warm and homely environment where residents feel safe, valued, and supported.

As our home grows, we have an opportunity for Housekeeper/Laundry Assistants to join us. You will help keep the care home clean and ensure high standards of hygiene for household and residents’ personal laundry. Responsibilities include:

• General domestic duties such as vacuuming, polishing tables and office surfaces, wiping armchairs and dining chairs, and emptying bins.
• Helping to run the laundry service.

We are looking for self-motivated and resilient team players who are willing to go the extra mile and take pride in their work, ensuring residents are at the heart of our service. Knowledge of COSHH and Health & Safety would be beneficial but is not essential. A good standard of English and numeracy skills are required, and you should be comfortable using various forms of digital technology for online training. No prior experience is needed, as we will provide all the training necessary to excel in this role!

Why Join Friends of the Elderly?

This is a unique opportunity to shape the culture and success of our newest care home, leaving a lasting impact on residents’ lives and the community. In return for your hard work and dedication, you can look forward to a wealth of benefits:

• Group Pension Plan, with a 6% contribution from us.
• Generous annual leave.
• Wellbeing support through various initiatives, including an assistance programme offering coaching and counselling support.
• Learning, development, and progression opportunities.
• Retail discounts to make your salary go further.
• Access to loans at affordable rates, saving directly from salary and advance pay already earned.
• Health cash plans for you and your family.
• Cycle to work scheme.
• Long service awards that increase with length of service.
• Refer a friend to work for us and receive a £200 bonus.
• Evening, weekend, and bank holiday enhancements to pay.
• Uniforms are provided.
• Free DBS checks.

Safeguarding: Keeping everyone safe is one of the charity’s core values, central to everything we do at Friends of the Elderly. All staff follow our Safeguarding Policy & Procedures and are expected to report any suspected abuse immediately.

Criminal record checks: As this role involves a regulated activity, successful applicants will undertake an enhanced DBS check, with barred lists check. Any offer of employment will depend on a satisfactory outcome. Having a criminal record will not necessarily bar a person from working for us; this will depend on the circumstances and background of any record.

Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion: Friends of the Elderly strives to treat all staff equally and be a diverse and inclusive workplace, where everyone can be themselves and accept each other’s differences. Our ambition is to ensure equality and celebrate diversity, creating an inclusive workplace that attracts and retains the best people who care and can make a difference.

We currently do not provide sponsorship but welcome applications from those who have the right to work in the UK. Don’t delay in sending your application as we may need to close the vacancy early if we manage to appoint before the advertising closing date. We interview applicants as they apply.