Flexible Caring: The Need for Change
Christian Brøndum is the CEO of Planday, a start-up that provides workforce management software to businesses working across all sectors including both hospitality and care homes. Here, he tells Care & Nursing Essentials about how software can aid flexible caring and help deal with the challenges of retaining staff… Recently, Carers UK announced the results of a report which found that over 600 people quit their job every day to prioritise caring for older and disabled relatives. Anyone working in the care sector will be familiar with the unique stresses of caring for an elderly or disabled person. Perhaps even more stressful is the fact that often, employers fail to provide the flexibility necessary for workers to keep their jobs whilst caring for their loved ones. Whether you work in the care sector or find yourself struggling to care for relatives whilst working, the need for flexibility is a pressing issue. Care work was found to be the most stressful profession in a recent survey; respondents cited the workload in the industry, having to cope with tight deadlines and the potential impact of making a mistake as their reasons for feeling stressed. Alongside this, 47.4% of respondents mentioned that work-related stress impacts their lives outside of work, highlighting the need for a refreshed look at work-life balance in the industry. A new perspective is needed to revitalise the motivation and culture of the sector. New resources brought about by technological advances can help care homes deal with these particular challenges. The arrival of the cloud, for example, has encouraged businesses across all industries to provide online and mobile platforms which redirect more control over scheduling back to employees. The sophisticated technology helps with increasing contact with employers, speeding processes to ensure deadlines are more achievable, and helping teams to communicate more easily to avoid mistakes. A ‘personal’ management style is not always enough when dealing with teams with varied skills across multiple sites. Digitalizing your management approach reduces the amount of time spent on traditionally manual processes and lowers frustration amongst employees, meaning that retaining those employees becomes much easier. With a 2018 Skills for Care report finding that employee turnover rate in adult social care is 30.7% (equivalent to around 390,000 leavers in the past 12 months), there’s a considerable need for an improved focus on retention. An online platform for workforce management means that problems are flagged and dealt with before they cause any complications. Mistakes are fewer and both patients and employees benefit from a more open and efficient process. The trend for flexible working is increasingly being adopted in other sectors and has the potential to go beyond being merely a trend and become the norm. All workplaces can make small changes to put welfare at the core of their management style, and help to have happier, more effective employees. For more information on flexible caring, see the Planday website.
Tackling diversity and retention issues through social work apprenticeship
Joanna Rawles, Head of Social Work at The Open University, discusses its new social work apprenticeship and how a wider range of applicants can be reached… Social work is a sector facing numerous challenges. Despite over 1.45 million workers currently employed, experts have predicted that an additional 650,000 employees will be needed by 2035 for the sector to keep pace with the rising numbers of people aged 65 and over, who rely on their services. Yet this surge in demand is being undercut by diminishing supply. The sector struggles with retention; with figures suggesting around 390,000 workers leave social work each year. These figures paint a concerning picture, and make exploring alternative avenues for tackling this shortage essential for leaders in the sector, who are looking to build a sustainable talent pipeline. The new Social Worker Degree Apprenticeship comes at an opportune time then, as it allows the sector to open up opportunities for all workers looking for a fulfilling and engaging career. With these issues of attraction and retention undoubtedly taking their toll on the social work sector, it is crucial that careers in the sector are open to all, regardless of their background – which is why this new route is crucial, for creating a sustainable talent pipeline. In such a people-orientated field, it makes sense for social workers to reflect the diversity of the society they serve. And diversity can have a positive impact on culture and performance within all organisations. Given that traditional routes into the sector have often proved problematic for certain demographics, The Open University’s Social Worker Degree Apprenticeship, with its mix of online and face-to-face learning, meets the needs of a diverse range of employees, allowing them to fit training around both home and work commitments. This means that the sector is opened up to prospective apprentices who have not previously been able to undertake a conventional degree as a result of time, money or capacity. Taking disabled students as an example, relocating or commuting to university – a huge barrier that comes with in-classroom delivery methods – is removed. This flexibility is exceptionally valuable to the many who otherwise wouldn’t be able to pursue degree-level training, helping to widen the sector’s pool of talent. This also means that study is made available to those who have always found themselves simply too far from a typical education hub, or who have struggled to balance the demands of work, training and personal life. The Open University apprenticeship could be particularly helpful in addressing shortages in more rural areas, where education facilities are harder to access. Most learning is delivered online, which allows apprentices to learn whenever and wherever suits them, but those enrolled will also receive face-to-face support from qualified social workers throughout. By offering existing workers the opportunity to earn while they learn, local authorities and private providers can also increase retention and loyalty. Training makes employees feel valued, and also gives them a clear path of their own progression, giving them a reason to remain with their employer, and within the sector. So, the new apprenticeship is confronting some of the issues the social work sector has been facing for far too long. As an important new route into social work, it can help to widen participation, improve diversity and enhance staff retention rates. In turn, this can help to create a more sustainable talent pipeline, addressing support and demand issues both now and in the future. [1] skillsforcare.org.uk [2] linkedin.com
Sunrise of Sonning launches placement scheme for budding Nursing students
Sunrise of Sonning, on Old Bath Road, has launched a scheme to give nursing students an opportunity to train and learn in a hands-on environment, in addition to their university studies. Their first placement student began on 21st January and is undertaking a five week placement. This marks the first placement student that Sunrise Senior Living UK has taken on, and the company hopes to start introducing the scheme across its other care homes in the UK over the coming months. Annegy Mataso, who is in her 3rd year at the University of West London (UWL), is the lucky student now working at Sunrise of Sonning care home. Following an assessment of the Community and a lot of paperwork to get the process signed off, Sunrise of Sonning was considered a suitable place for student placements and started looking for their first candidate. The Community will now offer these placements to students, and has the capacity for two placements at a time. Sunrise of Sonning has also already organised for two students to follow on from Annegy. Carmela Magbitang, General Manager of Sunrise of Sonning, said: “I am really pleased to have been able to get the placement programme off the ground. This project has been a personal passion of mine and I am really looking forward to working more closely with Annegy and all future students. “These individuals will be exposed to a whole new side of nursing and will have the opportunity to gain real practical experience, to enhance what they are learning at the University. It’s only been a week and the team have already taught Annegy so much – we want all students to be able to become the best nurses they can be and there is no greater feeling than helping them accomplish this. I have a great interest in mentoring and I know a lot of the team at Sunrise of Sonning do too. We hope the students have a wonderful experience here.” Annegy Mataso, Placement Student at Sunrise of Sonning, said: “I am so grateful to be the first student who has been accepted to do their placement at Sunrise of Sonning. At first I didn’t know what to expect when I found out I had been placed in a Care Home for my placement. “Carmela, the GM has been very welcoming. She took me around the Care Home and showed me the Community, I met some residents and other staff, who have been really supportive. “I had the chance to work with my Mentor, Daisy, she has taken me under her wing and showed me there is a lot to learn and so much experience to gain. I am surprised at how much I have learnt in a short space of time and I really look forward to everything I will learn during the rest of my placement.” For more information about this placement scheme, or to speak to one of the team please contact Sunrise of Sonning on 0118 207 2723. Click for more info
