The UK care industry is currently short of around 90,000 staff as the nation’s population ages. Add Brexit into the mix and the fact that there is expected to be 1.5 million over 75s requiring care in the UK and this figure is set to rise to an astronomical shortfall of 380,000 workers by 2026 as the free movement of EU workers is not guaranteed.
There are several reasons cited by care professionals for leaving the industry, most common of which is the increased workload, long hours and low rates of pay. Another reason stated was the lack of career progression which is putting off possible new entrants to the care industry as they believe that a career in care does not offer any opportunities for further development of skills.
In order to tackle this shortfall and continue to offer residents an excellent quality care service, UK care homes are having to think out of the box and enhance career development opportunities for their employees in order to attract and retain skilled staff.
The war to engage the best staff is most definitely on, with an estimated three care vacancies for each care professional, so using training and development as a competitive advantage will help care homes stand out against other job vacancies and give that extra something to those who are seeking to increase their skill set and progress their roles in a care home setting.
However, training and development does raise another issue. With care staff already overwhelmed by increased workloads, it is not practical to arrange external training that takes staff away from their roles and increase the burden on other employees, even though this might be temporary.
One way of getting around this issue is to provide online training using a range of digital tools to encourage learning and upskilling. Not only do these online training platforms provide 24/7 access to training courses that can be carried out in any location, but they can also provide potential employees with a solid training plan that they’ve been seeking.
Plus, a well-trained, professional team is a valuable asset to any care home, so this is one way that care home managers can help their business remain competitive in their struggle to engage the best talent and ensure the long-term success of their recruitment goals.
About novacare | recruit
Novacare | recruit is a cloud based recruitment tool that allows users to track the status of applications 24/7 and also helps to streamline the recruitment process. It is the first recruitment software specifically designed for the care sector.
Recent Comments