Regulating staff movement during the Covid19 Pandemic
Staffing has always been regulated within healthcare services under the CQC (Care Quality Commission) but guidance could be altered due to the current Covid19 pandemic.
Care homes in particular are facing a huge change in relation to the movement of staff and more specifically the use of temporary agency staff. The government requested a consultation on their proposal to regulate to stop movement of staff between care settings which closed only a few days ago.
The government has found that high usage of temporary workers directly correlates with a high number of Covid19 cases within care settings. Due to this, new regulations around the use of temporary staff within care homes could potentially be enforced in the coming weeks.
The proposed policy has been suggested to decrease the infection rates within these settings, but does that throw a spanner in the works elsewhere?
Over the past few months I have listened to the stories that nurses have told me about working through the pandemic and it has more often than not been incredibly hard on them. Staff sickness has been high due to positive test results, some staff were and still are self isolating because they themselves are vulnerable, this is all on top of the skills shortage within nursing prior to the pandemic.
Staffing problems have led to a strain on many nurse’s mental health. The Nursing Times found that a third of nurses described their mental health as ‘bad’ due to working during the pandemic. To counter this, charity Mind has partnered with other mental health charities to provide mental health services specifically for those on the frontline, including 1-2-1 support.
So, what advice would I give you? I’ve provided a few places to start.
Retain your current workforce – Losing a crucial member of your care staff at a time like this is going to hit you harder than before. Retaining your current team members will reduce the need to fill these gaps with agency workers. We have some fantastic tools for you to use to assess your retention needs. You can call me to discuss these options.- 02392 852 314
Take advantage of nurses on the temporary register – We have heard from a considerable number of nurses that have joined the temporary register who are now looking for permanent positions to complete their practice hours admitting them to the permanent register. This will also help staffing issues in the long term.
Speak to us – We have over ten years’ experience of recruiting permanent staff for the healthcare sector. We can provide you with a team of recruiters that have worked tirelessly for their clients over the last few months and are continuing to do so. As a team we have over 34 years of combined experience specific to healthcare recruitment and are proud of the knowledge we have. Whether you are looking to fill one vacancy or many we can provide the attention you need for finding the right candidates.
Equally, should you be looking for a new role, we have over 1000 vacancies with our current clients and have sent almost 2000 applications for our nurses this year. If you are looking for a new opportunity, we will take the time to listen to your needs and help you in finding the best position for you.
Please call me or my team if you have any questions about your job search or recruitment needs – Emma Platt, 02392 852 314, emmap@wr-health.com