Home care providers face many challenges, from providing care for the most vulnerable to making sure they are in line with industry changes and policy updates. Quality care and service user satisfaction are two of home care providers’ top priorities; however, the homecare industry has been tackling a persistent issue for many years in the UK: carer retention rates.
In a recent survey of more than 500 home care professionals working in the home care sector, staffing ranked as the biggest concern for 2020. The state of the adult social care sector and workforce in England 2020 report by Skills for Care showed the turnover rate for directly employed staff in the adult care sector was 30.4%, equivalent to around 430,000 leavers during the year.
There is no such thing as one perfect solution to ensure employee retention since home care organisations are all different in terms of size, service users and employee demographics, or even location. However, there are some key areas that can be improved from better communication and culture, to providing quality tools and ensuring quality and professional training.
The importance of training for employees
Skills for Care noted that employees who receive structured learning and development feel valued and supported and are more likely to remain in their roles. This statement is also reported in LinkedIn’s 2021 Workforce Learning Report with:
- 60% of employees globally believe that learning makes them more capable of adapting to change
- 76% of Gen Z employees think that learning is the key to a successful career
It goes without saying that training is to be considered as one of the most important factors to manage staff turnover.
Why is effective employee training and induction vital for staff satisfaction?
Everyone wants to work in a company where you know you can have a future and career development opportunities. Offering consistent training and education can communicate to staff that their employers are investing in them. Providing learning and development opportunities is key because it will enhance employees’ skills and experience while making them feel considered and satisfied.
Moreover, a training programme can help with the integration of new team members and provide the opportunity for managers and care staff to get to know each other better and build up team unity. Training sessions are also an excellent moment to make sure that carers are delivering on business objectives in terms of care quality and personal conduct which are essential factors for supporting CQC requirements.
In addition, a good training plan is also an excellent selling point when recruiting. Candidates are attracted by employers that can do more for them. Future social workers will be more interested in a home care provider that will enhance their experience and give them more professional options.
How to act towards a permanent solution?
Retaining a sizable workforce to care for the nation’s ageing population is one of the biggest challenges for care providers. Now more than ever, we need home care that is delivered from well-trained carers and it is essential that all providers have a structured training plan to ensure that their staff remain compliant with their training and have the opportunity to progress and expand their skills.
At White’s Training we are able to help by offering a variety of courses for home carers from Dementia and Parkinson’s Awareness to positive behaviour support. These courses are currently delivered virtually, face-to-face or via e-learning. We are also able to help support your in-house training plan by offering our Train the Trainer courses and on-going support. If you’re interested, please contact us.