PAGE 12 | THE CARER DIGITAL | ISSUE 202
Upskilling: The Key To Alleviating Staff Shortages In Elderly Care By Anders Forsberg, Head of Content at Lingio (www.lingio.com) Two years ago, the Health and Social Care Committee declared that the sector was facing ‘the greatest workforce crisis in [its] history.’ In 2022/23, the adult social care workforce experienced a turnover rate of 28.3% and a vacancy rate of 9.9%. This translates to 152,000 unfilled positions across the UK, with a vacancy rate three times the national average. Addressing these issues requires a multifaceted approach. While salaries, working conditions, and immigration policies are significant factors in these statistics, understanding why 28.3% of employees leave annually is crucial. It's a classic case of a leaking bucket. While discussing salary improvements, flexible schedules, and employee recognition are common, have you considered upskilling?
THE POWER OF UPSKILLING A recent McKinsey article highlights that 94% of employees would remain longer in their roles if their employer invested in upskilling, and productivity could increase by up to 12%. Upskilling could be the antidote to high turnover rates and a boost to productivity. So the question is, why isn't everyone embracing it? According to our recent study, "State of Frontline Worker Training," scheduling time for employees to complete training is one of the employer’s biggest pain points, cited by 75% of respondents. As such, the lack of upskilling and personal development likely contributes to the high turnover rates in social care and
other frontline industries such as hospitality and retail.
TRAINING STAFF WITHOUT DISRUPTING OPERATIONS So, how can we upskill busy frontline employees who may lack access to a computer or company email? Sending employees to a training facility or classroom and closing operations for two days is impractical and can cost companies significantly. The solution lies in employee’s pockets or bags: mobile phones. Mobile-based training offers an untapped opportunity to provide on-the-go learning. The elderly care sector often lags in adopting technological solutions that could streamline operations, including mobilebased training. Other industries already use mobile phones to train their staff, eliminating the struggle to find training time. The elderly care sector stands to gain significantly by embracing such technologies. One of the main benefits of mobile-based training is that it fits seamlessly into employees' schedules, allowing training during their down periods. All that’s really needed is 20 spare minutes each time to complete a course. Plus, providing training that employees enjoy boosts engagement and well-being at work. Approximately 95% of people prefer gamified learning over traditional training methods, leading to better retention, fewer incidents at work, and increased productivity. In Sweden, large healthcare companies like Ambea, with 31,000 employees, are already training their staff using mobile-based, gamified courses. This innovative training method has received positive feedback from both managers and employees who love the engaging learning format.
INVEST IN EMPLOYEE TRAINING Investing in your staff is crucial for retention. Perhaps your CFO might ask, "What happens if we invest in our staff and they leave?" A good CEO will counter, "What happens if we don’t?" The elderly care sector can’t afford to neglect its staff. Investing in a training format that engages employees is essential. Embrace mobile-based training and watch your workforce thrive, reducing turnover rates and boosting productivity. The future of elderly care depends on it.
Coventry Home Calls For Postcards To Add To Collection For World Map “Currently we have 16 postcards from various places including London, Romania and some from schools, at galleries and places that the residents' family members have visited. “Sometimes we have family members who live in different parts of the UK or even the world so for our residents it's important to have a reminder they are still in the thoughts of the family members. “We are asking for members of the community to get involved and get behind our initiative. “The map contains postcards from this year and last year and the plan is to keep it up until the end of the year. “It will be interesting to see how many we end up with and which parts of the country or world they are from, and I'm sure the residents will be quite keen to see them.” Should you wish to get involved you either drop off any postcards to the home or post them to MHA Abbey Park, 87 Humber Rd, Coventry CV3 4FE
A Coventry home is calling on the community to send it their postcards to add to their world map collection. MHA Abbey Park have been collecting postcards family members, businesses and schools have been sending into the residents. The home has displayed a world map and will be matching the postcards to the location and hope to receive cards from as many countries as possible. They are calling for members of the community to either send in or drop off any postcards they have. MHA Abbey Park provides residential, residential dementia, general nursing and nursing dementia care for 84 residents. Tina Turner, home manager said: “The postcard collection started a few years ago when we had a resident who got postcards and suggested we do something with them. “Having a world map displayed with the postcards is a good way to remind us of the journey the postcard has made.
New Dementia Campaign Launched to Raise Awareness and Offer Support This article was funded by Luye Pharma Ltd
A new campaign to raise awareness of dementia and offer help for those whose lives have been affected by the condition has launched this month. ‘Let’s talk Dementia’ - www.letstalkdementia.co.uk, which is organised and funded by Luye Pharma Ltd, offers information about the condition, as well as resources that individuals, community groups and carers can access. It covers everything from types of dementia and what the symptoms are, through to advice on nutrition, staying active and guidance for carers. There are currently more than 944,000 people in the UK who have dementia1 and one in three people will care for someone with the condition at some point in their life.2 By 2040, it is estimated that up to 1.7 million people could be living with dementia in England and Wales.3 The launch of Let’s talk Dementia comes following a survey with 1,000 people4, carried out by Luye Pharma Ltd, which showed there is concern about access to dementia information. 57% think there is not enough available, while 22% are unsure. Contributing to www.letstalkdementia.co.uk are partners and support groups with expertise in the dementia field. They include GP and media medic Dr Rosemary Leonard, the movement education specialist Joël Kruisselbrink, who creates exercises and games for the elderly, and nutritionist Jane Clarke, who devises recipes and nutritional advice for those with dementia. Also involved in Let’s talk Dementia is the carers
support group Tide (www.tide.uk.net), which offers support and advice to those caring for someone with dementia. Said Dr Rosemary Leonard, who worked with Luye Pharma Ltd as a consultant on the Let’s talk Dementia campaign: “As a GP, I see a lot of people with dementia, and their carers, and this has increased significantly since Covid. People are scared of dementia and automatically fear the worst, which is why we need to start talking about it more and provide help and support for those going through it. The Let’s talk Dementia website is a really useful resource – it offers advice and tools that can make a positive difference for those living with dementia.” To find out more, go to www.letstalkdementia.co.uk * The research was conducted in March 2024 with 1,000 people across the UK aged 18 to 65 years old to gain an understanding of what people know about dementia. Participants were asked 15 questions, covering areas including what causes dementia, can it be treated, how many people are affected, what are the risk factors and what is the care burden. 1 NHS https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/dementia/about-dementia/what-isdementia/#:~:text=How%20common%20is%20dementia,because%20people%20are%20living%20longer. (accessed June 2024) 2 NHS England https://www.england.nhs.uk/mental-health/dementia/ (accessed June 2024) 3 Chen Y et al. Lancet Public Health. 2023 Nov;8(11):e859-e867. doi: 10.1016/S2468-2667(23)00214-1. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/article/PIIS2468-2667(23)00214-1/fulltext (accessed June 2024) 4
Data on file (Luye Pharma Ltd, March 2024)
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