The Alarming Rate of Attrition in the Care Sector

A report by Skills for Care in the final quarter of 2019 made pretty worrying reading. For six consecutive years turnover rates have risen to a current figure of 39% across all areas and the care sector has the highest rate of attrition of any sector in the UK. Within these figures, workers on zero hours contracts make up a large percentage and younger workers are most likely to leave the industry after a few months.  

‍

The concern that high attrition presents is threefold:

‍

1. For your business - employee attrition and frequent recruitment represent an unnecessary cost to your business in time and money.
2. For your staff - indicates a level of disengagement with caregiving roles that could ultimately pose a serious risk to your business
3. For your wider stakeholders - the effect of changing caregivers on the experience your care recipients receive, not to mention the impression this gives their families should not be ignored. Stability is fundamental to reputation building in a world where customer seek positive affirmation of care businesses through referrals.

‍

Opportunities to Tackle the Issues

‍

Without doubt the report doesn’t make good reading for care providers, however reading further into the report highlights opportunities to tackle these issues to a degree through creating a more attractive place to work by:

‍

• Improving training (33% of those leaving care had received no training at all)
• Improving the general work environment for employees and focussing on wellbeing
• Avoiding zero hours contracts for employees where possible and reducing the uncertainty that comes these contracts.

Addressing these areas would encourage the right new people into the sector and most importantly, retain them.

‍

More Staffing Challenges to Come

‍

According to the Office of National Statistics, 17% of social care staff in England are foreign nationals. When the government’s new points based system comes into force it will be virtually impossible to use migrant workers to the levels the industry has up to now. It’s vital then that those currently in the system are encouraged to remain. This means a step change in thinking for care operators when devising their employment models. All of this will inevitably cost money in the short term at least.

‍

Employee Solutions for the Care Sector

‍

At Quality Care we want to help our clients during this transition period and beyond. Thinking laterally within the current environment, it is fairly evident care providers spend a great deal of money on recruitment. Those who have a good induction plan will be spending money on training and developing those recruits too. My question would be; how much money could be saved by reducing staff turnover, thus reducing the recruitment bill by retaining staff you would otherwise have lost? Some of those staff may be lost to the sector forever which is a real shame.

‍

Why not speak to us about optimising your recruitment and implementing employee benefits. We can help you acquire the right staff then put in a cost effective benefits package to help retain, motivate, and engage them whist reducing risk to your business.

‍