Supporting the wellbeing of the homecare workforce
February 23, 2024
In this episode, we hear from Dr Jane Townson OBE, Chief Executive of the Homecare Association, Sharon Lowrie, Chief Executive of Be Caring, and David Glover, Chief Executive of Caremark. Together they explore ways to create an environment where care workers feel valued, drawing on personal anecdotes and discussing how to give carers more autonomy, a sense of belonging and the feeling they are making a valued contribution in the community.
With over half of providers delivering less care than they did 12 months ago, despite demand for homecare increasing since the beginning of 2022, they discuss the inconsistency of carers’ income and how that devalues the workforce. The importance of regular touch points for staff and being responsive to the needs of the workforce is discussed, as is the notion that the NHS and care workforce could be viewed as multidisciplinary teams in a geographic area, working together to support people.
David Glover highlights the value of an employee carer engagement app to help carers feel part of a team and Sharon Lowrie shares her strategies for retaining staff and a new model for paying carers. Jane Townson shares the Homecare Association’s call to Government and what the 10-year workforce plan should look like for social care. The use of wellbeing officers and counsellors as active ways to manage carers’ stress is highlighted, as well as the need for regular hours and proper pay to reduce strain on the workforce. They also call for more to be done to raise the perception of homecare, urging the industry to work together to dispel the myth that care workers are unskilled.
‘We’ve got to empower the workforce and utilise their time. There’s so much opportunity for them to make a difference in the community; we’ve got to unlock this somehow. That’s been our biggest focus in the last few years.’ Sharon Lowrie, Chief Executive of Be Caring.
