registered nurse

administrative officer

nurse

physiotherapist

midwife

Calvary

The upper management is terrible and have no idea of what they are doing. Since the move to the new hospital all areas are understaffed. Nurses working long shifts and under continuous stress. Nurses are doing unsafe practices and overworked. Nurses are under payed and abused by executive and the doctors/surgeons are apparently even worse. Promised lots with the move but not delivered. Ordarlies are very overworked, from what I hear.

Not enough people in cleaning, kitchen and supply, they have always been understaffed as bad executives don't know about organizing key components of the company. Lots are leaving or will leave soon. Lack of cleaners will get health officials to close it, some parts of the hospital are filthy due to lack of staff. A risk to patient care. Lack of supply staff will collapse the company, they have not enough staff to do the basics. They are likely the most overworked and are understaffed, same number of people as old hospital but new hospital is 5 times the size, executives/HR will not hire more even though it is critical to hospital. Many stores are leaving - other departments are hoping more stores will leave so hospital has to slow or shut and executives are forced out. Maintenance cannot keep up with condition of hospital infrastructure, with cheap components used. Contract workers are executives band aid, paying more for them over regular employees. Contract staff show little care for the company, witnessed terrible behavior, but no recourse because not hired by Calvary. 

Morale is very low throughout all departments but executive is blaming others.

Executive management and administration do not know how to manage the organisation - they have unrealistic work expectations.They lack the skills. Plans made before move are followed even though thins have changed since move. Executive fire people who speak up. Too many people in business and management, but none are useful. The current and past general managers are terrible, fire anyone who speaks against them and get their friends those jobs. Most useless HR you will run into, they do nothing about bullying, harassment, bad employees and under staffing. Good people get more and more work, bad people are kept on with less work instead of moved on. Gossip and rumors are common. Everyone is overworked. Payroll often underpay - people getting government involved for illegal activity. Bullying is a major issue across all Adelaide sites. Culture of the company is broken, and poison. Upper management has alot to do with it. People leaving in droves, many more are contemplating it. Soon will grind to halt, maybe they will get through somehow - lucky I won't be there to see it. This information is getting to the community now.

Middle management is competent but they have too much work to see to employees and problems of hospital. More and more work is lumped on to them, unrealistic expectations. Many nurse think the many mangers will quit or rebel against upper management. The people I worked with were great, and my ward was good at both old and new hospital. I worked at Wakefield for many years. Just better to be a nurse at another hospital, who will not stress me out and make me work long hours with less pay. Whole company has been let down by those at the top for around one year now. One person said that executive have no self reflective abilities and I think this is correct, they think the employees are to blame.

Only work here as a nurse or other staff if you are desperate. Stay away from surgical areas because I have heard it is the worst for bullying and overwork. Many better places to work which staff properly. Other services like Kitchen and especially cleaning and supply are overworked and you should stay away. Might be good in a couple of months or years when executive and business group get fired or get their things together. Don't think that will happen though. 

Company's top management, HR and most other business services need to be fired and started again.

• Degree (Bachelor of Nursing) - Registered Nurse (AHPRA) – Placement experience includes: Acute Care (Surgical and Oncology), Mental Health, Community Nursing, Rehabilitation, Aged Care Nursing, Theatre and Recovery, Industrial Medical Centre

• Diploma of Social Science (Community Services) – more than 8 years experience as a Welfare Worker. Including work as an Employment Consultant, Outreach Worker and Co-ordinator, working with juvenile offenders, homelessness, disability and aged care

• More than 30 years experience as the Primary Carer for a person with severe and multiple disabilities (my daughter) – this involved significant health issues

• Experience as an Extended Care Assistant, Crisis Advocate, Consultant, Educator, Management Board Member and service with several community organisations

• Advanced Resuscitation Certificate, Senior First Aid Certificate and other education and training including, Personal Effectiveness Training and Workplace Safety for the Construction Industry – CPCCOHS1001A and Construction Induction Card

• Demonstrated long-term commitment to health, welfare and community work, extensive background in community service management and administration, committee work and small business management

• Excellent interpersonal communication skills, the ability to work well unsupervised and as part of a multi-disciplinary team - Current clean driver’s licence and a reliable motor vehicle – able to pass all police, credit and character checks – good written work references and referees

Calvary pay the absolute lowest wages that they can get away with paying, at every turn there is a loop hole in which they exploit to pay as little as possible.
For example, when working in the community I started at 8 am and finished at four, I had several clients on my run with the 10 or 15 minutes to get to each client. This time driving was unpaid, there was no fuel allowance. Calvary get away with this by claiming each client is a new place of work, so as a worker you are effectively driving to a 'new' job. At the end of the day I lost at least an hour in pay because of  time spent driving to jobs and then on top of that I had to pay for fuel. A complete scam. 
I now work in a residence. In one shift doing the same role, I do not receive one rate of pay, rather several. If I give out medication my rate of pay goes up but only for the hour that I give medication, if I am cleaning, the rate goes down and so on. My pay slip is indecipherable there are so many different rates. 
These are just a couple of examples of a company that values you with token gestures of Coles vouchers for good work but then utterly devalues the work you do at every other turn, where it really counts. 
Lower management are helpful and do their best. Otherwise it's a complex and confusing management system, if you have a query with your pay, for example... good luck talking to someone.  If you have the choice. Work somewhere else.

Calvary does offer ongoing training to its Support Workers and the pay rates are comparable to other providers in community care. However, Support Workers do not receive a mileage allowance for the use of their car, which can become expensive if they have a long way to travel each day.  
It became apparent at Support Worker meetings that there were inequitable workloads.  Some people were overworked while others received only a few shifts.  Moreover, there was an unequal distribution of the type of work offered, which affected pay rates 
(Domestic Assistance pays less than Personal Care).

Calvary's community services have been dropped by at least one provider in Melbourne because of its unreliability. That is a shame because there are some nice people working for the organisation.  However, until processes are refined, readily accessible to all and office staff interacting with clients develop better people skills, it will be an uphill battle for the organisation to compete with more professional competitors.

Calvary Home Care. Typical day starts early or late shift. Get my list and then hit the road seeing all kinds of different patients from Home Hospital to Wound Care to injections and catheters.Great flexibility of work for people who are flexible for work. Management are very approachable and listen which is fantastic. Everyone is very friendly and supportive in the Adelaide office on Wakefield St.Hardest part of the job is the constant changing environments of peoples homes and schedule changes throughout the day.Best part of the job is getting to drive my own car around in comfort instead of having to use a fleet car and getting paid for my KMs which pays for my car and bills.Would highly recommend this workplace for experienced RNs who are looking for a challenge and a change of pace from the hospital. I love the clinical hands on tasks and the joy I get from being with people who are so grateful for the service

What is the best part of working at the company?
I was 60 when I qualified as a  support worker. I didn’t think I would be able to get work because of my age. I worked for Calvary silver circle for 5 years and found them to be very supportive and I enjoyed being able to help people stay in their own homes.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Quite often no supervisor available when I needed advice 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Pleasant environment and they employed people from other countries. The rosters were good and one could request to work certain hours and days. I quite enjoyed overnight care

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Mostly good any request to work certain times was acceptable. I usually worked about 20 hours per week-4 hours per day usually. I made many of my workmates friends.

I want to commend the Operations Management team at Calvary for their attentiveness and transparent communication during the transition period after Calvary acquired Robina Rise. They ensured we were kept informed every step of the way, providing timely updates about the changeover and what it meant for us.

One particular highlight was their proactive approach to ensuring we received the correct pay during the challenges of COVID-19. They went above and beyond to address discrepancies and made arrangements for back pay where it was due. This demonstrated their commitment to fairness and the well-being of their staff, especially during such a difficult time.

Overall, their professionalism and consideration helped make the transition smoother and reassured us that our needs were a priority. Thank you, Calvary, for your dedication and support!

Do not work for this company if you want to have a soul left. 
Management are beyond incomprehensible to look after staff in all areas. 
Team leader and Chefs have no idea what they are doing and use other staff as their escape for their mistakes. 
PCA’s are made to work in the kitchen with no formal training from chefs or other kitchen hands. 
 I’ve never heard so many complaints from other staff about management and other colleagues. 
There is constant negative gossip between all areas. 
Staff that are not trained properly are put in dangerous situations where incidents occur on a daily basis, as management rush them to pick up shifts in areas they are not qualified in. 
Complete bias towards favoured employees. 
Mandatory training is not up to Age Care requirements across all job areas, especially in kitchen areas. 



I thoroughly enjoyed working for Calvary Community Care, it was very rewarding to provide care to clients living in the community. The work itself is varied and there are many interesting facets to the role. It requires a person who is compassionate and with a genuine interest in helping people. For the right individual, it provides the opportunity to expand their knowledge and skillset, learn how to use specialized equipment and provide care in a fast-paced and varied environment. The downside to this role is that the hours are not consistent and travel times/costs are varied. This may be problematic for those who enjoy consistency with their schedule. Also, the nature of the work requires close contact with those experiencing illness and can be confronting at times. That being said, it is a great position for those who enjoy helping people.

What is the best part of working at the company?
I have nothing positive to say about the place

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The culture and the people especially the senior management and some doctors. Expectation to work with minimal resources which compromised patient care

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Poor, there is a lot of organisational discrimination, a lot of blame culture. Staff facilitates in some areas were appalling. The worst and most stressful place I've ever worked in, disappointing for an organisation meant to live on Christian values. Nearly made me change my career. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Busy day from commencement to end

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Registered nurse 79 salaries reported	$45.78 per hour
Administrative officer 29 salaries reported	$35.55 per hour
Nurse 6 salaries reported	$34.32 per hour
Physiotherapist 5 salaries reported	$40.32 per hour
Midwife 4 salaries reported	$45.37 per hour

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