Recruitment & retention
has, what they want to achieve and be focused purely on the support that their managers can offer them so that the worker feels engaged, valued and listened to. All these will ensure that the worker
develops and learns new skills, feel motivated, listened to and valued. Rewards do not need to be monetary; they could be a personalised card or letter, with a bunch of flowers or box of chocolates. It demonstrates to staff members that you have acknowledged something they have done and taken the time to highlight and acknowledge it. Workers who feel that they have the
right amount of praise and recognition have been shown to not only feel more engaged - it increases productivity - but it also sows seeds for their colleagues to be the same so that they will get praise and reward too.
Communication, communication, communication If the pandemic has shown us anything, it is the importance of communication. If you have an open-door policy, that should mean that the door is open - otherwise there is no point in having one. Communication channels can be
suggestion boxes, team meetings, supervisions, one-to-ones, impromptu conversations, communication apps and so much more. It is important that workers know their expectation and any changes but also that their feedback is listened to, and acted upon, so that they feel that they are involved in the service and how it is moving forward. Another element of communication
in relation to valuing and retaining social care staff is the external recognition workers receive. This needs to improve greatly, both from members of the public and the government.
Now is the time to raise the profile of the social care workforce and show how professional and skilled they truly are
To have Priti Patel announce to the
nation that care workers are low-skilled could not have been any more damning to the sector, and the workforce and the government have done nothing since to change this perception. Throughout the pandemic, we saw
care homes and care workers blamed for the outbreaks. We have also seen the NHS prioritised and treated as heroes while social care is forgotten. Furthermore, we have care workers made ineligible for the new visa system. Now is the time to raise the profile
of the social care workforce and show how professional and skilled they truly are. I have a petition calling on government to recognise care workers as skilled professionals, you can view this here:
https://www.change.org/p/care- workers-need-to-be-seen-as-skilled- professionals. There are also a number of sub-
groups challenging the perception of the social care workforce, such as those from the Institute of Health and Social Care and organisations such as the National Association of Care and Support Workers, which is the only professional body for care and support workers in the United Kingdom. One thing you should take away from
reading this is you need to take action to challenge perception. It could be as easy as making and posting a video on social media or a website about how great care workers are, and the difference they make to the people they support.
Conclusion In summary, retaining staff saves time, saves money, improves productivity, ensures consistency and ensures that the people we support have people that know them well and meet their support needs. To answer the ‘golden question’ about
why work in social care if you can be paid the same amount in a supermarket, it is because social care has an amazing career pathway. Every day is truly different, you will make friends and, above all, you will be responsible for supporting and making a difference to someone’s day. The sense of self-worth and
achievement will by far outweigh that of the reward you get for stacking a shelf or scanning some items at the checkout.
December 2021 •
www.thecarehomeenvironment.com Mark Topps
Mark Topps is a passionate and multi award-winning social care leader who has worked in the care industry since 2004 and is currently working as a regional support manager for Essex Cares. Mark can be found regularly advocating, appearing on television, radio and podcasts and has started numerous high profile campaigns which have been debated in parliament and across the world and have a combined petition signature list of over 1.7m creating a change in legislation and culture within the industry. He is also social media & marketing director at the National Association of Care and Support Workers. In addition, Mark is co- founder of ‘The Caring View’ YouTube social care show and ‘The Health and Social Care Club’ on the Clubhouse app. Both air live weekly to increase the positive image of social care and to build a support network for those working within the sector.
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References 1. House of Commons Health & Social Care Committee, Workforce burnout and resilience in the NHS and social care, June 2021,
https://publications.parliament.uk/ pa/cm5802/cmselect/cmhealth/22/2208. htm#footnote-054.
2. The Health Foundation, Health and social care funding projections 2021, October 2021,
https://www.health.org.uk/publications/ health-and-social-care-funding- projections-2021.
3. Skills for Care, Calculating the cost of recruitment, 2018
https://www.skillsforcare.
org.uk/Documents/Standards-legislation/ CQC/Safe-staffing/Calculating-the-cost-of- recruitment.pdf.
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