Home care quality depends heavily on employing the right staff

A well-selected and motivated team of staff is the most important factor of a successful home care service, according to domiciliary provider , who recommend the guidance of the National Skills Academy for Social Care to any emerging care agencies.

Certainly human resources director Athena Davies has found that an approach based on a philosophy of ‘Recruit for values, train for skills’ works for them and highlights the core attributes care staff should have as being: compassion, courage, respect, responsibility, empathy, imagination, adaptability and integrity.

She comments: “These core attributes are not just about providing high standards of care, they also reflect a positive attitude to professional and personal development, and the desire to help the business constantly improve to meet customer needs.

“Good staff want to keep learning and improving – from each other and simple observation, but also through receiving formal training. They can tell the difference between the right and wrong behaviours and attitudes, recognise what works and what doesn’t, and are willing to change their working practices (and possibly their personal style) in line with that.”

In turn, employers must value staff feedback and make it clear that where provision can be improved they will act.

Ms Davies continues: “A golden rule is to listen to staff – especially their ideas for improvement or expansion. They are at the frontline and can spot gaps in services and where enhancements can be made. With their input and commitment you can grow and develop a stable set of services, rich in both quality and effectiveness.

“Your customers can tell if staff are happy. Not only do happy staff perform better, they can transform the atmosphere of a service and leave a positive and pleasant impression on the people they support. Ultimately, this will help build your company’s reputation as both a good service provider and a good place to work.”

Konrad Czajka, managing director of Bradford-based and Yorkshire chair of The Registered Nursing Home Association (RNHA), believes this to be an important time for recruitment, especially considering the state of transition that health services are in and the potential of losing experienced professionals via NHS cuts.

He comments: “It’s vital that as the NHS continues to cut senior nursing posts and drive cost savings that the private sector takes advantage of the skills and experience of those nurses. We currently have several positions that would be ideal for nurses that have previously worked in the NHS and can provide excellent training to further enhance their knowledge base.”

Mr Czajka is particularly keen to see the 4,000 senior nurses, that the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) reports to have been lost from NHS services since 2010, find fitting roles elsewhere, adding: “We are appealing to trainee and experienced nurses to consider a role in the private sector. Many nurses in the NHS tell us they feel overstretched and under resourced and we know that we can offer the training and development that many nurses crave.”

He concludes: “We want our nurses to feel valued, well-trained and supported – both financially and emotionally. We value our clinical staff and understand the important role they play in the care and welfare of our residents. That’s why we strive to create an environment where clinicians and care staff can work effectively together with good supportive management to help reduce workplace stress and we hope that this will help to attract nurses looking to further their careers.”

Cognitive neuroscientist and ageing specialist Dr Lynda Shaw has concerns that ageism might play a factor when assessing an employee’s potential and risks seeing quality staff, with years of potential left in them, lost for good.

Dr Shaw comments: “Inequality of the sexes has been on the agenda for years, but I think it is now vital to look at the huge issues we have with ageism as well. When managers are looking to recruit new employees nowadays they are often more concerned about what is thought of them by hiring an older person, than considering the capabilities of the older applicant. This is a trend that I see more and more when speaking with managers. Highly regarded men and women are displaying total disregard for potential employees nearing retirement age.”

She continues: “A strong set of skills, expertise and loyalty are being overlooked and lost to industry because of old behavioural conditioning. Isn’t it better to trust our judgement and think only about the job spec and the applicant? Perhaps focusing on the fit of someone in terms of contribution is all that is needed.”

“If we continue to treat people like this, they will lose interest and either retire, start a business of their own or change course completely. This is dangerous for industry.”