Jane Brightman, Director of Workforce Development, Skills for Care discusses the long‑term value of leadership, culture, and workforce development in building a sustainable social care workforce.
Leaders are at the heart of high-quality care. The impact of a good leader touches across everything and everyone – from staff to processes to the people who draw on care and support. Skilled, knowledgeable and compassionate leaders are needed to achieve well-led organisations.
It’s important to note that leaders come in many forms. Of course we have registered managers as key leaders in care, but we also have owners and directors; nominated individuals; team leaders; senior carers, subject specialists, and people managing areas such as learning and development.
And leadership isn’t just about managing people and performance. Frontline workers often exhibit leadership skills every day – from promoting a culture of inclusion, to leading with compassion and driving for continuous improvement.
So, when we talk about investing in leadership, it’s not just about supporting managers but also about investing in everyone that can lead the direction of your organisation.
Let’s take a closer look at the long-term value of investing in leadership.
Building a positive culture
Great leadership doesn’t just shape how care is delivered; it shapes the culture around it. Leaders shape the culture of an organisation, through every interaction they have, every day.
Good leadership creates environments where teams feel genuinely supported, valued, and heard, enabling them to perform at their best.
Developing knowledge and skills
By investing in your leaders, you’re not only developing their individual skills but supporting them to develop the skills and knowledge of the wider workforce.
By developing leaders’ skills, you help them to lead with confidence and compassion. You build their communication skills, their decision-making ability, their aptitude for problem solving and their ability plan for short and long-term business goals and efficiency. You teach them how to be a person of influence, to drive positive change in their organisation, to foster equality, diversity and inclusion in the workplace, and to be someone who colleagues feel supported by.
These skills in your leaders will also help your wider team to develop. Strong leaders can encourage and role model staff development and can help to plan teams’ learning and development in line with the strategic aims of the organisation.
This will help everyone to progress and feel valued, as well as building the skills and knowledge required to meet the future goals of the organisation.
Supporting staff retention
A good workplace culture, a positive learning environment and a good relationship between leadership and the wider team all contribute to increased staff retention.
Skills for Care’s latest data also shows that established and stable leadership can positively impact on staff retention.
If a registered manager had been in their role for less than a year, the turnover rate at that establishment was higher than if the registered manager was more experienced in their role. Where managers had been in their role for less than a year the turnover rate among staff was 33.1%, whereas when the registered manager had 20 years of experience or more this dropped substantially to 13%.
This highlights the important role that strong leadership can have on improving retention rates, and the importance of developing and retaining leaders in order to also develop and retain the wider workforce.
Financial savings
As well as creating a happier workforce and workplace, good leadership also brings financial benefits. Better retention of staff means less time and money spent on recruitment and induction.
Leaders who can plan the most effective training for their staff ensure money is spent in the right places to equip the organisation with the right skills, knowledge and resources to meet future needs.
Happier teams and positive culture means less burnout and time off sick, reducing the cost of staff absence and cover.
Better care for all
Crucially, good leaders are critical in ensuring the best outcomes for people drawing on care and support.
Skills for Care’s data shows that establishments with stable registered managers are more likely to achieve higher CQC ratings.
Good leaders ensure the highest-quality care through setting the direction and culture of the organisation; through developing and motivating their team, and through planning services to run efficiently and effectively.
That’s why investing in leadership is one of the most important investments that care organisations can make in securing the future of their organisation and the future of outstanding care.
Find support for developing leaders on the Skills for Care website: https://www.skillsforcare.org.uk/Support-for-leaders-and-managers
