Staff recruitment


specifically formulated to reflect the traits required for a successful career in care, have allowed for our team to receive a more detailed insight into the characters of applicants. Through this increased intelligence, we


have been able to increase the quality of candidates which progressed to the later stages of the application process. This also ensures that we are advancing higher numbers of strong candidates through to the later stages of the application process, saving Sunrise and Gracewell time and resources while improving the likelihood of candidates staying with us for long term careers. A positive candidate experience


during the recruitment process is also key to showcasing the strong appeal of an employer to applicants. Operating within the highly competitive nature of the care home sector, the pandemic has emboldened our efforts to bring forward greater improvements in the experience of candidates. As a result, we are now looking to make


further upgrades to our entire candidate experience, including the introduction of applicant tracking software (ATS). ATS helps to manage our hiring and onboarding processes while opening up further doors to incorporating greater value-driven technological capabilities. That includes incorporating chatbots,


which will act as a rapid form of contact between candidates and Sunrise and Gracewell to provide them with confidence in the accessibility of our recruitment team. The power of online video interviewing


in the early stages of candidate screening has also been demonstrated by the necessities of social distancing. Unlike other sectors, the majority of roles within the care home industry require physical, face-to-face contact with applicants to adequately screen their suitability. Yet virtual interviews have acted as a


valuable way to introduce Sunrise and Gracewell to candidates and, through using our upcoming ATS, we are ensuring this new capability remains part of our hiring process.


Retaining team members is critical As we worked tirelessly to recruit greater numbers of team members into our care homes during the pandemic, the importance of retaining existing team


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members became even more clear to us all. Indeed, within many of our care homes are countless team members who have dedicated substantial periods of their lives to the benefit of our residents. Ensuring these experienced individuals continue their careers with us has always been a priority, but as we look beyond the pandemic, we understand that more must be done to fully support them. Furthermore, the challenging circumstances that these team members have fought through requires appropriate action to safeguard their long-term wellbeing. As with hiring new candidates,


technology can also play an important role in safeguarding the emotional wellbeing of our team members. We have been delighted by the success of our Aviva Wellbeing app, which has helped our teams to lead fulfilling lives. This technology has been a brilliant


example of providing a valuable resource to team members which empowers them to reach their wellbeing goals, helping them to live happier and healthier lives. Within our care homes, we have also


introduced greater resilience and mental health training for each of our general and deputy managers. This training is giving the leaders within our care homes vital knowledge on how to recognise the signals and symptoms of mental health illnesses, such as anxiety and depression, and how to support those team members who may be suffering. We have also trained mental health


first aiders within each of our 46 care homes and our support office to act as a dedicated point of contact to support those who are experiencing issues within their emotional wellbeing. These first aiders are being drawn


from within our existing pool of team members who already have personal relationships with their colleagues, helping to cut through any social anxieties when speaking about their mental health. To protect these first aiders from feeling overwhelmed in their new roles, we are setting up an internal network where they will be able to give and receive support from each other. Fundamentally, the pandemic has demonstrated that while recruiting new and talented team members into our care homes is vital to our mission for creating care homes where residents are able to live with purpose, retaining existing


Glenn Milton


Glenn Milton is head of talent acquisition at Sunrise Senior Living UK and Gracewell Healthcare, joining in 2020 following an esteemed career in social care recruitment, including at one of the UK’s largest care home providers. In his role as head of talent acquisition, Glenn is responsible for sourcing and welcoming outstanding candidates into Sunrise and Gracewell’s care homes. He says that it is a hugely rewarding feeling to play a role in improving not only the lives of residents who benefit from great new team members, but of those candidates that go on to develop brilliant and rewarding careers in care.


www.thecarehomeenvironment.com • August 2021


team members must also be actively prioritised.


Recruitment done differently As the depths of the pandemic gradually fades into recent memory, the care home sector is being afforded greater perspective on the legacy of this extraordinary period. For our recruitment team, this means no return to normality. Instead, we are embarking on a new


and rejuvenated approach to continue attracting exceptional team members while simultaneously ensuring we are doing everything we can to retain existing team members who have given much to our organisation. Building on the learnings from this period, we’ll also continue to innovate and bring forward greater changes to our ways of working. The pandemic has cost the care home


sector dear in a multitude of ways, but by recognising how this era has facilitated positive change, care home recruitment can emerge stronger than ever before. TCHE


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