The Home Manager Pay & Salary Guide

"It’s a demanding, multi-faceted role that can be hugely fulfilling."

Have you ever thought about becoming a Home Manager? Here we look at how much you could earn, what you’d do to earn it, how the pay differs between sectors.

Topics covered in this article

Introduction

What Is The Average Salary For A Home Manager?

What Does A Home Manager Do To Earn This Salary?

How Is Pay Determined In The NHS And How Much Does A Home Manager Get Paid?

How Is Pay Determined In The Private Sector And How Much Does A Home Manager Get Paid?

What Does The Future Look Like For Home Manager Pay?

How To Get A Pay Rise As A Home Manager

What Is The Career Progression For A Home Manager?

Looking For Your Next Home Manager Role?

Introduction

Home Managers, who are also often referred to as Registered Home Managers or Care Home Managers, are responsible for the safe and effective running of residential care homes.

Regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), Home Managers are responsible for financial controls, recruitment, staff management and training, health and safety compliance, and safeguarding residents.

It’s a demanding, multi-faceted role that can be hugely fulfilling – and for those with enough experience, it can be financially rewarding too.

This salary guide explores exactly what Home Managers can expect to earn, how they earn it, and various other pay-related topics.

What Is The Average Salary For A Home Manager?

The average salary for a Home Manager is approximately £35,000 to £40,000 a year.

However, the range of salaries is very broad, and therefore this amount should only be seen as a rough guide.

At the bottom end, salaries can start around £27,000 to £30,000.

But it isn’t uncommon for in-demand Home Managers at the most challenging locations to earn between £60,000 and £80,000.

Also, the majority of homes are privately operated.

That means, unlike in the NHS, salaries are difficult to accurately pinpoint because every provider has the freedom to offer whatever salaries they wish.

What Does A Home Manager Do To Earn This Salary?

The best Home Managers have an enormous amount of responsibility as the heads of carefully regulated care homes full of residents with very specific care needs.

In terms of everyday activities, these will vary depending on the type of home you work for and its residents (for example, whether it cares for the elderly, or children).

But broadly, your daily tasks might include:

• Providing information and support to residents

• Working with the families of residents to agree care plans

• Helping residents to engage in activities and access local community services

• Recruiting and training staff

• Managing the staff rota

• Agreeing and managing budgets and financial plans

• Monitoring quality of care and safeguarding in line with regulatory requirements

It’s a 24/7 role, so these duties will normally be carried out on a round-the-clock, shift basis that may include weekends, nights and holidays.

How Is Pay Determined In The NHS And How Much Does A Home Manager Get Paid?

In the NHS all salaries are controlled under a banding system.

Typically, for care homes that operate within the NHS, Home Managers are paid a Band 6 salary.

A Band 6 salary ranges roughly between £37,000 and £45,000 a year.

For more specialist roles or experienced candidates, Band 7 salaries are also possible, which range from around £46,000 to £53,000.

However, around 84% of care homes are privately owned, so NHS roles are relatively scarce.

How Is Pay Determined In The Private Sector And How Much Does A Home Manager Get Paid?

In the private sector, salaries of course aren’t regulated.

The average salary, as mentioned, is between £35,000 and £40,000.

In the private sector, what you earn is likely to be negotiable and will be determined by how qualified and experienced you are.

With lots of experience and specialist qualifications, you can attract an above average salary very easily.

Experienced Home Managers can be hard to find, which puts them in a very strong position.

What Does The Future Look Like For Home Manager Pay?

Care homes and the salaries paid to staff have been in the spotlight for some time.

The sector has become overstretched with an increasingly ageing population, and the strain on employees has grown.

Meanwhile, the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the challenges of managing a care home.

Home Managers have been placed under enormous pressure and have had to manage an almost impossible situation.

As a result, many, including the Labour Party, have called for generous salary increases for all care staff in light of the bravery and sacrifices they’ve made – and continue to make.

In reality, whether or not this will lead to a notable increase remains to be seen.

It’s also impossible to know how any suggested increase for Home Manager pay would be forced upon private companies.

How To Get A Pay Rise As A Home Manager

The key to increasing your earnings as a Home Manager is to increase your skills, experience and qualifications.

It is possible to land a Home Manager role with no specific qualifications beyond, for example, a nursing degree.

In this scenario, completing a course like a Level 5 Diploma in Leadership for Health and Social Care, will make a big difference to the salary you can command.

Whatever point you’re at in your career, there are always courses available to improve your skills – and the best place to start is the sector’s workforce development agency Skills for Care.

The other, equally important way of increasing your chances of a pay rise is to increase your experience.

This will come from moving into different roles, but also through industry networking.

As with many other industries, the best place to do this is probably through social media.

What Is The Career Progression For A Home Manager?

A Home Manager is quite a senior position in its own right, but there is still some potential career progression beyond this role.

Home Managers can become more specialised, working within homes that cater for very specific conditions.

It’s also possible to become a regional manager, perhaps taking leadership for a number of homes in a geographical area.

Other Home Managers do sometimes become consultants for the industry, or specialist care home inspectors.

Looking For Your Next Home Manager Role?

Whether you’re looking for your first Home Manager position or a new challenge, register with us today and we can send you a selection of the very latest roles.

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