Must I do night calls?

If this is your first placement or even if you are making general enquiries about live-in care work, this may well be a question to ask. Do I have to do night calls?

This is a very valid question. Not everyone likes doing them, in fact, given the opportunity most carers would choose to sleep right through the night instead of being called.

You can stipulate to the agency that you would prefer not to have a booking where there are known to be night calls, and they will respect your wishes on this. They will try to make sure that you go somewhere with none. However, things do change. It is worth remembering this.

Clients you look after are basically all in a state of deterioration. This is why they need a live-in carer. This is the reason they have opted for a live-in carer, and while your agency will do all they can to ensure that you go to a placement with no night calls, they simply cannot guarantee it.

You may find that when you arrive there are no night calls, but as your booking goes, your client starts to call. What you do and how you handle the situation is up to you.

Night calls are regarded as being between 11pm and 7am. Most carers will agree that a few minutes either side will not be regarded as a night call but being woken at midnight will be classed as a night call.

You can call or contact your agency and see what they recommend, or you can simply handle the calls and add them onto your weekly invoice.

Any more than three night calls on a regular basis needs to be addressed because your agency will agree that you cannot work under those conditions and lack of sleep for any length of time. They will address this with family and possibly bring in a night carer.

One or two night calls a night is something that most carers can handle. Unfortunately, as your client’s health deteriorates, this is very likely to happen.

There are two ways to look at night calls. Firstly, you can refuse to go to clients who call. In this case you will be cutting down your work opportunities by a huge among because the agency just cannot predict if and when night calls will happen.

Secondly, you can embrace them. They are part of the job. You are helping your client to stay in their own home for as long as possible. Without you and the care you provide, they may have been forced to live in a care home, against their wishes.

Fortunately, night calls are paid for by the client, or the family. Make sure you document the time and date when you present your invoice. While money may not be the prime reason for becoming a live-in carer, the extra night calls add up quickly, being between £5 and £7.50 a call. Consider it a little treat for yourself when you are paid for them and buy yourself something nice. That way, night calls will be less of a burden for you. They are part and parcel of aging, just like false teeth and incontinence, and they are certainly a part of live-in care work.

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