Almost a year ago the then minister for social care and mental health Jackie Doyle-Price declared that the UK had lost its ‘cultural practice’. Ms Doyle-Price believed that the UK no longer possessed the skills, empathy and willing nature to care for the elderly. The MP’s comments combined with Skills for Care unveiling that the social care industry is facing huge skills shortage with up to “90,000 vacancies for social care jobs in England” being advertised every day has thrown into question who should the industry look to hire and how do they retain them? Jackie Doyle-Price’s answer; international candidates.
A year on, does your business need a change of culture?
Ms Doyle-Price’s reasons for stating that international workers were better catered to work in social care was due to the UK’s lack of neighbourly help and overseas candidates “bring with them cultural practices, and we used to have those.” This albeit controversial statement does shed light on the characteristics and traits that are required to work within the sector and what managers need to look for when recruiting. Regardless of a worker’s cultural background, to find and hire the right employee with the valuable skills and behaviour that are needed within care can be taught through an organisation’s own culture and set of values that if executed successfully, will be embraced by all colleagues no matter their line of work within the organisation.
Recruiting from the inside out
Social care is an industry that is notoriously famous for a high turnover rate with The Guardian reporting that on average 928 carers in England leave the care industry every day and a stark prediction that this figure is only set to climb. For social care to recruit and attract new skilled carers, managers must first understand how they can retain their current workers.
Be a company that promotes pride in the work that is carried out by their employee’s, temporary or permanent it does not matter, they all make a difference to people’s lives for the positive and should be rewarded for doing so. If salaries cannot be increased rewarding great care with monthly certificates and small prizes or quarterly team nights out that do not need to cost a lot but can boost employee morale, pride and retention. To present yourself as an organisation that not only looks after their patients but also their staff will attract candidates looking for opportunities in care and reflect that a temporary and shift carers are just as valuable and important as permanent staff.
Skills for social care that are in demand
What are the key skills and attributes that create the perfect carer and the type of candidate you need to be attracting when looking to recruit?
- Patience
- Happy and calm demeanour
- Punctuality
- Willingness to go beyond your role
- Empathy
- Understanding of others
- Communication
- Taking responsibility
- Supportive
- Flexibility in work
Dedicated specialists that can provide the support when you require it
Our consultants across all of our BS Social Care branches are specialists within social care, with individual consultants dedicated to each specific sector of care so that you receive the most relevant, in-depth and up-to-date knowledge of the market you work within and the candidate pool you want to target. With over 30 years specialising in social care all branches have built up a strong network of candidates, that have been security cleared and are ready to make a difference in your organisation. Speak to your local BS Social Care branch today -
