Staff retention in the care industry – how can technology help?

Staff Retention in the Care Industry 

Staff retention is a significant challenge in the care sector – making it even harder for the existing workforce to keep up with the ever-growing demand.  

Skills for Care predicted that by 2035 the care workforce will need to increase by a minimum of 29%, to keep up with the ageing population and demand for new carers. In the same report, it was estimated that staff turnover within social care is 30.4%. To put this into perspective, approximately 23% of independent sector workers have a turnover rate of less than 10%.  

This prominent level of shift indicates that organisations within the care sector are struggling to find and retain suitable candidates. Working in care comes with many challenges, and an insufficient number of workers within the industry creates problems for both service users, workers, and organisations.  

Ongoing issues within the sector have meant that care providers have needed to adopt a range of new strategies to support and retain their employees. Technology, especially over the COVID-19 outbreak, has proven to be extremely successful within the healthcare industry. It has shown how embracing paperless methods can improve organisation, boost work ethics and morals, encourage communication, and reduce the number of hours completing admin.  

The Impact of Staff Turnover 

High staff turnover can be incremental to an organisation’s service and reputation. It can lead to lower levels of patient satisfaction, increase the number of risks to both employees and service users, and make meeting CQC (Care Quality Commission) and Care Inspectorate standards even more challenging. At the beginning of the year, 0.8% of providers flagged that their staffing ratios had been breached against CQC regulations.  

The care industry is extremely valuable to our economy, contributing over £50 bn to the UK economy and equating to 5% of all employment. It is vital for the wellbeing of our ever-growing and ageing population that the high turnover rate is minimised.  

In addition, a high staff turnover means there needs to be a larger investment in recruiting, training, and retaining quality employees. But how can technology help take some of the pressures off both providers and employees?  

How can technology assist? 

Useful technology, like Radar Healthcare can assist staff turnover issues by increasing efficiency and boosting morale.  

Maintaining and tracking records of employees’ training, appraisals, supervisions, and compliance requirements shows that an organisation values their individual workers and is invested in supporting and retaining them. Managing everything in one system helps to ensure that your workforce is well informed, encourages better communication, and helps both management and staff stay up to date.  

Radar Healthcare not only allows you to record concerns, claims, accidents, and complaints for safer working, it enables you to record and recognise compliments and positive work from within your organisation.  

This is great for promoting positivity and is exactly what CQC regulators are looking for. For instance, the CQC’s KLOE (key lines of enquiries): How do leadership and culture reflect vision and values, encourage openness and transparency, and promote good quality care? 

Staff retention is one of the many things that our technology can help care organisations manage and improve.  

If you are interested in improving your staff retention with technology, book your free demo today, or take a look at our pricing page – what plan will you build?