Care sector jobs – new appointments, promotions and vacancies
Care sector jobs – Care & Nursing Essentials magazine presents a round-up of new appointments, promotions and vacancies at care providers and within the wider social care sector. Darley Dale Apprentice wins Health & Care Hero Award November 2019 17-year-old Health & Social Care Apprentice, Nell Matthews, was recently presented with the prestigious Heath & Care Hero Award at the Darley Dale Community Awards. The award recognises her dedication and commitment to her role at Darley Dales’ Ivonbrook Care Home, celebrating her enthusiasm and excellence at work. Working towards her Health & Social Care Level 2, Nell has gone from strength to strength in the world of care, learning alongside the homes’ experienced carers how to provide the best care service possible. Nell attended the glittering award ceremony to accept her award, enjoying a night of much-deserved celebration. Nell commented on her achievement, saying: “I was really grateful to have been nominated for the award, let alone to have won it. “I didn’t always have the best time at school, but I’ve never let it hold me back. “With my apprenticeship, I’m learning while on the job – gaining valuable work experience all while working towards a well-recognised qualification. “Working in care is one of the most rewarding things I have ever done. “For me, caring is about helping the residents maintain their dignity and independence. It can be emotionally draining at times but it’s still a great feeling to be able to help someone in need.” To learn more about our excellent Carers and the support and companionship they provide to help our residents enjoy later life, get in touch with a member of our team on 01629 735306. Canford Healthcare announces new appointment at Hampton Care Home October 2019 Canford Healthcare, a leading provider of nursing, residential and dementia care services in south west London, is pleased to announce the appointment of Anne Trigg RMN as Home Manager of Hampton Care Home. Anne brings a wealth of valuable and very varied experience to the role. Not only is she a qualified chef, baker and butcher – courtesy of the Women’s Royal Air Force – but she is also a mental health trainer, university lecturer and psychiatric nurse who spent 15 years working with patients on a secure unit. Since moving over to elderly care, Anne has held a number of senior management posts for well-known companies including Caring Homes and Royal British Legion, where she oversaw several CQC outstanding ratings. One of her main priorities is to reinforce the home’s commitment to person-centred care, ensuring that residents are supported to live full and active lives, as far as possible. “As soon as people become elderly others try to stop them from doing things they’ve always done. They are people with wisdom, not children,” she says. “Why should they not do what they enjoy, simply because they live in a care home? Our role is to protect them, not take away their choice.” Anne is already enjoying working with her new team. “Every day our dedicated and highly skilled staff endeavor to deliver the best care to residents. But we won’t rest on our laurels because we can always be better at what we do!” Caron Sanders-Crook, Operations Manager says: “We are delighted to welcome Anne as the new manager of Hampton Care Home. We believe that her particular set of knowledge, skills and experience, together with her person-centred approach to residents, add up to a formidable combination that will take Hampton from strength to strength.” Anne is ably assisted by recently promoted Mobin Jacob Philip, the home’s former clinical lead, as well as the rest of the Hampton team. Chief Nurse appointed to drive quality governance and clinical compliance procedures September 2019 Florence, the recruitment marketplace connecting nursing and care home providers with qualified professionals to fill temporary shifts, today announces it has appointed Fiona Millington to the newly created position of Chief Nurse. In her new role, Fiona will lead clinical governance systems and processes across the organisation. She will be working closely with the management team to develop frameworks and policies that support quality, compliance and safety for all RNs and carers engaged by Florence and the residents they support. With over thirty years of nursing experience, Fiona began her career in nursing as a registered nurse in Bristol where she completed her training. She has subsequently enjoyed a varied and successful nursing and academic career, having previously held the position of Associate Chief Nurse at the University Hospital North Midlands and lectured at Keele University on nursing theory and practice. Fiona has a passion for looking after older people and during her role as Matron at the Royal Stoke University Hospital, she helped to launch a Frail Elderly Assessment Unit – an older person’s alternative to A&E. This model, now in its tenth year, was believed to be the first of its kind and has gone on to be adopted up and down the country. Fiona said, “Nursing is a privileged role, supporting people and their loved ones during times when they need it most. It requires kindness, compassion and clinical expertise, factors that all contribute to delivering quality patient care and the effective management of the clinical environment including nursing and residential care home settings. “I was attracted to Florence because it offers me the opportunity to bring my experience and passion for governance to a growing business and nursing network. The issue of temporary staffing and recruitment in the social care sector needs to be addressed and I look forward to being part of the solution, helping with the development of a more flexible workforce, which is effective and efficient.” Charles Armitage, Co-founder and CEO at Florence, said: “I am delighted to welcome Fiona to Florence as we expand our team in order to support our planned growth trajectory. She brings a wealth of experience and a strong track record of governance and compliance leadership. I have no doubt that she will make
Brexit – a perfect storm for social care
Stephen Wilson, CEO and Co-Founder of recruitment platform Novacare, discusses how Brexit will add to an already critical situation within the social care sector – and why women should be better recognised for their role within the care industry. The Office for National Statistics reports female unemployment fell this year to 3.7% the lowest since records began in 1971. Unsurprising when women account for the vast majority of the 1.75 million people who work in Social Care across the UK. As a sector social care contributes £38.5 billion to the economy in England alone. A figure which continues to rise as the size of the population over 65 requiring support grows. Yet it is a sector with over 110,000 care vacancies, and a turnover of more than 390,000 (30.7%) per year. This crisis in recruiting impacts those waiting to be discharged from hospital and those at home awaiting a care package. So how will Brexit add to an already critical situation within social care? The Department of Health itself estimates that there could be 28,000 fewer workers in the social care sector in England five years after leaving the EU. It also warns that this could have a knock-on effect on women’s participation in the workforce as they move out of paid employment to take on informal care roles. The result of this would be hundreds of thousands of hours’ worth of lost earnings, mainly for women. Given over 104,000 EU nationals and 129,000 non-EU nationals work within the sector, we can’t be complaisant about the impact Brexit and a points-based immigration policy will have. With the UK government’s announcement on 19 August that European Union (EU) “free movement” rules will end immediately if there is a ‘No-Deal’ Brexit on 31 October 2019, new immigration restrictions become more likely. The immediate impact for employers would include: The risk to the social care sector is that visas may only apply to skilled workers with a salary in excess of £30,000. The average salary for a full-time social care worker in England is £9.10 per hour, less than £19,000 per annum. Currently, the most needed group of workers would fall outside of the proposed immigration salary threshold. All of these factors build up into the perfect storm for recruitment into the social care workforce. Conclusion Gender shouldn’t be a factor when it comes to employment, however social care remains predominately delivered by women. This traditionally low paid sector deserves better recognition and reward for the work its staff do. They improve the quality of peoples’ lives day in, day out. Early morning, late at night, 365 days a year in all weather, social care staff make sure the most vulnerable in society are safe. Isn’t it time we worked together to improve their lives?
