Shining the spotlight on staffing in care
Having spent time working as a doctor in the NHS, I have witnessed first-hand some of the problems endemic in our health and social care system. In my experience, the reliance on costly traditional recruitment agencies further drains resources which are already over-stretched. This compounds sector-wide staffing issues and is having a huge impact on the care provided in hospitals and care homes across the country.
I also saw and felt the understandable irritation that healthcare workers experience when called by agencies to work shifts that are wholly unsuitable, coupled with frustration around the lack of transparency on pay. I decided that there must be a better way of doing things. I wanted to build something that was not only more efficient and cost effective, but that genuinely put the needs of frontline staff – and of course those in their care – first. After a year of extensive research, Florence was born.
As an online marketplace, Florence enables nurses and carers to work flexibly, choosing the shifts that best suit their skills, experience and preferred working pattern. Providers can post their vacant shifts and access a pool of vetted nurses and carers, with full visibility of their work history and associated feedback. Residents, meanwhile, benefit too – with providers building valuable relationships with nurses and carers which lead to continued engagement and better continuity and quality of care over time.
With social care in crisis amidst a state of political disarray, we are taking matters into our own hands and stepping up to tackle some of the challenges around staffing and recruiting. As concerns grow about the sustainability of the UK’s social care workforce in the face of an ageing population, Florence is using technology to help solve the challenges, with user experience at the core of everything it does.
Some of the leading care providers in the country are using Florence as a staffing solution for filling temporary shifts across their care settings.
We are successfully challenging the traditional recruitment agency model with the platform acting as a one-stop shop for managers to recruit both nurses and carers in one integrated solution.
Staffing in care needs to be in the spotlight. We are building our movement on the guiding principles of quality, choice and transparency; a team of people brought together by one purpose: to provide everyone with the care and dignity that they deserve.
Join Charles for his session at Future of Care on Tuesday 15 October at 10.20-10.45am:
Changing the Narrative on Staff and Recruitment in the Health and Social Care Sectors
· What can be done to make working in care an aspirational career path?
· What role can technology play in tackling the staff and recruitment conundrums?
· How can care providers be instigators of change in their own settings?
To book your Future of Care delegate tickets book here.
Charles will also be speaking at Care Roadshow Cardiff on 5th November, book your free tickets here.
