Jayne Worthington Chief Executive of The Progress Group, explains how we can avoid a ‘world of pain’ with the help of digital disruption
The care sector in our country is in crisis and if we don’t do anything differently, things are going to keep getting worse. Already there are 152,000 care worker vacancies in England, according to the latest Skills for Care annual report, while the Joseph Rowntree Foundation estimates that 44% of working-age carers are in poverty.
We are facing a world of pain because care workers are ordinary people doing extraordinary work, but like everyone, they have basic needs of their own. When care workers are forced to access food banks to support their families, we are failing them, even though we need them more than ever.
The sector is plagued by low retention rates and workforce burnout and the traditional social care model is proving to be unfit for purpose. Without enough permanent care workers available, care providers are relying more and more on agency workers, but they come with high fees attached, even if they themselves aren’t earning enough to live on.
This is the challenge that we are aiming to solve with our Flourish brand and Click Shifts product. Click Shifts allows self-employed care workers to take control over their schedules and earnings, without any hidden costs – we don’t take a cut from what the carer is paid by the care provider, so they get the full amount.
Offering more flexibility and security for shift workers will have a positive effect across the sector, enabling better outcomes for those who need care and their families. It’s about keeping people within the sector who have the skills and experience but need more flexibility to fit in with their lives while also being better able to support themselves financially.
If these workers are feeling empowered to deliver great care while earning money they can live on, it can elevate everyone around them. Meanwhile, the care providers are saving money on agency fees that they can reinvest back into their business, hopefully making them able to pay better wages for their full-time care workers.
Click Shifts comes with accountability too in the two-way ratings system, which we believe offers full transparency about how care excellence is being driven. It shares information so that everyone can improve, whether that’s the carer or the care provider, as well as giving more choices for everyone, which should also improve the quality of care.
This combination of flexibility and accountability is the way forward because it doesn’t come at the expense of consistent care standards. Empowered and valued workers will feel a greater sense of accountability to deliver great care and that will be backed up by the rating system.
Digitally led disruption is needed to bring the sector into the 21st century. We aren’t trying to fill the sector with shift workers, we want to help care providers fill the holes created by illness or a sudden rise in care needs.
Alongside Click Shifts we have launched services like Click Learn and Click Academy. These platforms are designed to help care workers advance their careers through online learning and in-person training.
Giving them the tools and resources they need to thrive and grow their careers can help end the exodus in the sector that we have seen since the pandemic. We need both our shift and full-time workers to be able to support themselves to create a sustainable future for social care.
@Flourishgroupuk
flourish.co.uk/click-shifts theprogress-group.co.uk
