At Right at Home, it’s so important that we have a high-performing, happy, well-supported workforce who are recognised as professionals.
Like many care providers, we’ve faced the same widely reported recruitment challenges. To combat this, we knew our plans had to be bolder than ever to make positive, lasting change for our network and the whole sector. Leading the Marketing, Recruitment and Training teams, I feel incredibly fortunate to be in a position to play a part in driving forward such necessary improvements.
My personal inspiration for our campaign work came from my passion for the people in this sector, both Clients and professionals. Since joining Right at Home, I’ve developed a deep understanding of the opportunities available and the broad range of talented people in this essential industry. It therefore became my long-term mission to not only build better structure and support internally but to improve the wider perception of our incredible sector.
For this campaign, we began by reflecting on how visibly attractive we were as an employer and established where we needed to make enhancements. I realised we needed to give our workforce more clarity on potential progression routes and development opportunities at all levels. This formed the basis of our unique Gold Standard Framework, which included an innovative new appraisal process and building over 60 internal courses, therefore offering fully person-centred pathways. As a result, employees feel more engaged, supported and motivated in their role.
After perfecting our offering, we needed to shine a light on these opportunities externally and help dispel long-held myths about careers in care.
Our Careers in Care campaign introduced interactive digital tools such as a Careers in Care Quiz and Salary Calculator, as well as a Careers in Care Brochure. Using these tools, candidates can see potential earnings and progression routes and can truly discover the range of benefits. Since its launch, our Careers Portal has seen an impressive 267% increase in visits and job applications have trebled.
Another key part of the campaign is sharing the voices of the people behind our business. Who better to spell out what a career in care really offers than our incredible workforce? By sharing their stories, we are able to showcase what joining and progressing in this profession really looks and feels like.
The pandemic was the first-time care workers were hailed as the heroes they are, and as we transitioned to normality, I knew we must uphold this representation and ensure the government wouldn’t forget.
Recently, our sector has been weathering the perfect storm of recruitment, funding and cost of living challenges. Despite this being well-publicised, the government has failed to listen. To force them to pay attention we wrote to MPs highlighting our concerns and calling for urgent action. This resulted in meetings with six MPs, including one who raised our concerns just days later in Parliament.
We then secured a seat at the House of Commons Health and Social Care Committee for a CareGiver, who spoke as a ‘Lived Witness’. Following this, we gained multiple press opportunities to champion our message and highlight the truth behind this rewarding profession.
While we’ve seen some success, we know there’s still more we can do. Lasting change requires a collective voice from the entire sector. Speaking and presenting at recent sector events, I’ve shared our experiences and best practice with fellow social care businesses, and asked them to join our fight, raising their profiles and challenging MPs. We’re proud to have already made a significant impact, but as a united sector, I truly believe we can move mountains. This is just the beginning.
For more information on Right at Home’s Careers in Care campaign visit www.rightathome.co.uk/careers
