FEATURE
Restoring Confidence in Care
Edna Petzen, Director at Lynden Consulting – a marketing and communications company specialising in the adult social care sector, explains how care providers can restore confidence in care in the aſtermath of the pandemic.
It’s no surprise that the pandemic has hit so many of us in ways we could never have imagined. In the midst of the crisis, care providers have had to continue to focus their efforts on providing high-quality services each and every day to the people they support and their families, despite the uncertainty of the external environment and economic climate.
On 23rd March, we marked the year milestone of the COVID-19
pandemic – an event that has significantly changed the world as we know it, and even more so how we operate within it. The vaccine rollout gives us hope of life returning to some form of normality soon and, for many care providers, the ongoing pressure to sustain services remains.
Forecast from Caterwood in December 2020, highlighted what they saw as the key challenges facing the social care sector as a result of the pandemic. Earlier predictions had been reassessed to reflect the ongoing developments in operating in a COVID-19 world. A fall in occupancy from a pre-pandemic average of 87.3% to a low point nationally of just over 79%. Their forecast also predicted a decline in total elderly care home bed capacity, with decline expected to continue until December 2024, indicating the significant pressure that will continue for care home operators in years to come.
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These predictions were confirmed in a survey conducted by the National Care Forum (NCF) – the association for not-for- profit care providers – in February 2021. The survey confirmed the financial pressures experienced by care providers, with respondents reporting significant increase in costs, reduction in income and a decline in occupancy. Although there will be variations between individual providers, the results chime with the majority of care providers and the impact is being felt throughout the sector.
There has been a notable shiſt in the way care providers have had to approach service delivery and development, and this shiſt is also affecting how providers market their services.
The financial challenges mean that providers are under pressure to develop sustainable income streams whilst delivering high quality care and support. Many will agree that effective marketing is essential for survival. However, with a tight squeeze on budgets, a focus on marketing can oſten be overlooked.
If providers are to survive in this challenging and unprecedented environment, it is important that they commit to a multi-channelled marketing strategy and take control of how their services are perceived in the marketplace.
Marketing is as important to care providers as it is for every other business. It is important for any care organisation to develop a robust marketing strategy to help navigate their way to recovery. Without one, it will be impossible to effectively remain solvent.
www.tomorrowscare.co.uk
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