Overworked with little pay - Healthcare Assistant CareChoice Employee Review

Could be a way to get a work permit for people from overseas outside EU. Then leave as soon as you get something better

Absolute hustlers. Dont stick to their word. They will add more little duties non related to your work description: carers doing laundry, carers helping in kitchen, carers doing housekeeping. Laundry staff doing recreation...

The only pro is the residents.

I worked for Care Choice for more than two years, and I can honestly say that I would never recommend this place to anyone, not even my worst enemy. Today, I want to share my story and speak about the years of stress, frustration, and mistreatment that I endured while working there. I came to Ireland with a genuine passion for caring for people and serving humanity. Ireland had always been a country I admired since I was young. I loved its vibrant culture, its warmth, and its people. But if there is one thing that nearly destroyed that admiration, it was my experience working in this place. The residents were the reason I stayed for as long as I did. I loved them dearly and cared for them as if they were members of my own family. Their smiles, their gratitude, and their trust were what kept me going every single day. But let us talk about the reality. The nurse-to-resident ratio is dangerously unsafe. Imagine being the only nurse responsible for 24 residents. Imagine administering medications to every resident, answering call bells, assisting HCAs with personal care, responding to phone calls, helping with meals, coordinating with the multidisciplinary team, communicating with families, handling documentation, managing emergencies, and countless other responsibilities, all at the same time. It is simply too much for one nurse. And despite carrying all of that responsibility, nurses are subjected to constant criticism and verbal abuse from management. Now, let me be clear: not every member of management is terrible. However, many of those in leadership positions have completely lost touch with what frontline nursing actually looks like. The CNMs watch nurses running from one crisis to another like headless chickens, yet they often turn away as if we are invisible. They offer little support, provide no practical assistance, and still expect perfection. Every day, we had huddles. In theory, these meetings should have been opportunities for communication and teamwork. In reality, they often felt like public trials. Nurses’ mistakes were announced in front of everyone, and staff were aggressively questioned and pressured to explain themselves. I remember one particular huddle where a family complaint was discussed. An ADON publicly named the nurse involved and demanded that she explain herself in front of the entire team. They even stated that the meeting would not continue until she responded. I watched my colleague struggle to hold back tears while being publicly humiliated. What made it even worse was seeing the CNM who had reported her smiling and quietly laughing while this was happening. No healthcare professional deserves to be treated that way. And sadly, this was not an isolated incident. It was part of a wider culture of blame, intimidation, and humiliation that many nurses experienced on a regular basis. Let us also talk about pay and working conditions. A nursing shift is scheduled for 12 hours. But anyone who has actually worked there knows that the work rarely ends after 12 hours. When a resident falls, when someone develops a new wound, when a transfer to hospital is required, when documentation piles up, when multiple emergencies happen in a single shift, there is simply no way to complete everything within the allocated time. At the end of the shift, handover begins. Depending on what happened during the day, this can take anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes. After handover, nurses are often left trying to complete unfinished documentation and outstanding tasks. This regularly results in nurses working an extra hour to an hour and a half beyond their scheduled shift. And yet, that time is often unpaid. Instead of acknowledging the impossible workload, management blames nurses and claims that the issue is poor time management. How can anyone manage their time effectively when they are expected to do the work of several people? To make matters worse, management expects handovers to be flawless and contain every possible detail. If something is missed, nurses may receive messages outside of working hours demanding explanations. That is unprofessional. That is unethical. And it shows a complete lack of respect for staff boundaries and personal time. And finally, let us talk about references. When Care Choice hires nurses, they demand references from previous employers. Yet when nurses decide to leave and request a reference themselves, they are often met with silence or refusal. This creates unnecessary delays, stress, and obstacles for nurses trying to move on to better opportunities. Why is it acceptable to demand references from employees but refuse to provide them in return? I honestly cannot understand it. At times, it feels as though staff are expected to suffer right up until their final day. I could go on for hours. There are many more stories, many more examples, and many more reasons why people should think twice before working in this organisation. But if I listed them all, this speech would turn into a book. So let me finish with this: If you value your wellbeing, your mental health, your professional dignity, and your peace of mind, stay away from this place. No nurse should be expected to sacrifice their health, their sanity, and their self-respect just to survive a shift. We entered this profession to care for others. We should not have to endure mistreatment, humiliation, and impossible working conditions simply to do the job we love. To every nurse who has experienced the same struggles: your voice matters, your work matters, and you deserve better. And to anyone considering working there: protect yourself, know your worth, and think very carefully before walking through those doors.