Staff management Video conferencing will have a
lasting impact on how we interact with others. When used in the right way, it has the potential to create long- term improvements in efficiency and accessibility of care. Yet we must acknowledge the importance of face- to-face interactions and create a world where video conferencing is seen as an adjunct, not a replacement, for in-person interactions.
Opportunities for the future Without a doubt, the most important part of social care throughout the Covid-19 pandemic has been our workforce. Without the dedication and commitment of frontline staff and teams across the country stepping up again and again, the system would have collapsed. We are all familiar with the long-term
staffing pressures that the sector faces. Pre-pandemic, the vacancy rate was large and growing consistently. There has been some relief to this over the last year as unemployment and industry-wide furloughs created a new cadre of staff in social care. Nationwide, appreciation of the work done across the sector has helped staff unite around a common purpose. Coming out the other side of the crisis,
however, it is highly likely that we will return to some of the staffing pressures seen previously. As other industries open up again and staff burn out takes hold, it is predicted there will be an exodus of staff from the sector in the second half of this year. Providers have spent the last year
fighting new fires every single day. It has been hard for them to think strategically about how to build systems designed for the workforce of the future. As the crisis abates and we return to
business as usual, we must think about how we can create a workforce strategy that prioritises the needs of the individual worker. This is essential if we want to retain our staff and limit any potential exodus down the line. The two most important opportunities for technology to support our workforce lie in improving learning and development, and enabling staff-centric working patterns.
Giving learning and development a facelift The professional development of care workers has taken a kicking through Covid-19. Almost all face-to-face training has been suspended at one point or another. As pressures on the system increased, there was increasingly less
time for managers and senior staff to invest in training their workforce. Even pre-pandemic, social
care suffered from a learning and development model that was fundamentally broken. Learning and development meant the completion of mundane statutory and mandatory training courses repeated on a yearly basis. The focus was on limiting liability in the event of adverse events rather than the true upskilling of staff members. So what are the learning and
development opportunities that we can capitalise on as we emerge from Covid-19? Firstly, and most importantly, we need to recognise that training should be personalised and worker-centric. The current one-size-fits-all model
turns training into a box-ticking exercise that is widely resented. By taking the time to work closely with staff to design personalised professional development structures, we can tap people’s intrinsic motivations and create the next generation of proud, professionalised care workers. Secondly, we should modernise
access to learning. We would all like to say goodbye to clunky, desktop-based e-learning courses. It creates a joyless learning experience that is vastly different to how the majority of people access information today.
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www.thecarehomeenvironment.com • August 2021
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