Here's how to reduce your Nursing Homes staffing cost bill by 30%
It
is estimated that 65% of care homes in the UK are using temporary staff to
cover vacant shifts.
Nursing
home managers spend between £5bn- £7bn per year using staffing agencies to
recruit temporary nurses. But the
process can be less than satisfactory for both parties and, more importantly,
can affect standards of care.
The
‘arm’s length’ nature of recruitment agencies mean care and nursing home
managers have no direct relationship with the worker.
For
the temporary nurses , they can feel they are just a body to fill a gap rather
than a hard-working professional being employed for their skills.
The
current agency nurse solution is failing nurses and care homes. Everyday nurses experience conflicting
demands, difficult working conditions low morale which has led to the largest
shortage of nurses since the War. To
help ease some of these demands, a new and innovative web platform called
Florence has been launched to help connect nursing home shifts with pre-vetted
engaged local nurses.
Florence
allows RGNs to showcase themselves, their experience and skills and build a
reputation. They create a personal
profile including their training, accreditation and feedback they’ve received
from homes they’ve worked at previously.
Nurses can feedback on the homes too, so both parties are encouraged to
make the working experience a positive one.
Homes
managers can clearly see all of this information so they are fully aware of a
nurse’s abilities by the time they arrive for a shift. And because that nurse has been selected for
their skills and experience, they are likely to be more engaged, motivated and
have a greater sense of professional pride.
The Benefits
By
cutting out the staffing agencies in the middle, Florence not only cuts out
their extortionate fees, saving the home up to 30% of their monthly staffing
costs but also homes are also encouraged to pass some of that saving back to
the nurses in the form of higher wages.
Feeling
valued is key in being able to attract a member of staff and for them to accept
subsequent shifts, which is what every home manager wants – continuity is key
for a care setting where residents are faced with ‘strangers’ coming into their
homes and where getting to know individuals is crucial for personalised
care.
Florence was created by a doctor (Dr Charles Armitage) who was dissatisfied by staffing agency system. He found the whole shift booking process difficult and frustrating and was very concerned about how much the process was costing providers.
This
experience was the driver behind Dr Armitage
creating Florence app, a digital platform that bridges that gap - that allows
homes to make more informed choices about the nurses they employ and that
empowers temporary nursing staff by giving them the chance to showcase their
skills and experience, and be seen as a valuable asset to a staff team.
Digital-contingent
labour platforms like Florence are recommended as one way of reducing costs, managing fluctuating
demand and attracting a wider skills base for the public sector and there’s no
reason why that shouldn’t apply to the private care sector.
And
as the gig economy grows, disruptive technology will be the way forward for
engaging with older, experienced staff as well as new starters.
With
more nurses leaving the profession than joining it, the available pool of nursing staff
is growing increasingly limited and with the approach of Brexit, this could
diminish even further.
Care and
nursing homes are competing with the NHS for nursing staff so the more
attractive you can make that working relationship, the greater edge you’ll
have.
About Bunie Anyaegbunam
Bunie
is CMO at Florence, a web platform that connects private healthcare
institutions with pre-vetted, self-employed registered nurses who are looking
for extra shifts.