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CARE HOME


ENVIRONMENT www.thecarehomeenvironment.com Editor


Mary-Louise Clews marylouiseclews@stepcomms.com


Business Manager Mike Gammon mikegammon@stepcomms.com


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Steven Dillon


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Designing environments for staff wellbeing


Mary-Louise Clews, Editor marylouiseclews@stepcomms.com


By the time this is published, the much- anticipated first budget since Andy Burnham took over will have been announced and how much of the Prime Minister’s drive to fix social care was backed in the form of extra cash for the sector as the foundations are laid for a National Care Service will have been made clear. New money to support a “bigger reform”


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on workforce to be rolled out alongside the ‘fair pay agreement’ was expected at the very least, following Mr Burnham’s summer promise there would be an “immediate focus” on this – and especially following Skills for Care’s latest annual report showing workforce growth stalled in 2025-26. Anything that can be done to support


provider’s efforts to improve recruitment and retention will be welcomed by a sector struggling to convince young people in particular to pursue a career in care – the average age of workers in residential care and nursing homes is around 43, and more than a quarter (26 per cent) of the workforce were aged over 55 according to the Skills for Care data. However, while it’s clear that government


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intervention on pay, training and prospects for care workers is urgently needed, the specialist workforce body did find evidence that employers can make make an impact now on their ability to recruit and retain staff. It found that positive employment factors


- being paid the local authority area average hourly rate or more, guaranteed hours, working full-time, receiving training, and having a relevant social care qualification – meant that care workers were less likely to leave. And the data showed that happier staff also directly correlated to better CQC ratings as well. All of this ultimately comes down to


money, of course. But it also shows how prioritising staff within existing budgets can have an impact too – such as ensuring staff areas are designed for basic wellbeing, like having a window (or access to outside space like the new Signature home in Hornchurch – see pgs 28-31). While I don’t have specific data to show


that putting thought into the design of staff spaces improves recruitment and turnover rates, surely its all part of the same deal that helps staff to feel valued. And staff who feel valued stay longer and deliver better care for residents.


THE


Denys Kurbatov - stock.adobe.com


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