OPINION: How improving employee wellbeing decreased agency use at Hartford Care
Quality director Nicky Barnes explains how Hartford Care’s focus on employee wellbeing and career development led to a substantial reduction in agency use.
It’s no secret that recruitment is one of the biggest challenges facing the care sector, and yet carers do one of the most important jobs there is.
While it sounds like a cliché, our people are truly the heart of Hartford Care; investing in their career development and wellbeing is one of our fundamental commitments as a business.
Our continued focus on improving recruitment and retention has meant that we have decreased the use of agency staff by 140% in the past 12 months alone.
Our philosophy is one of a ‘home from home’, and our residents feel as if the team supporting them are members of their own family. With more than 850 staff, we are proud to be an accredited Living Wage Employer, and all employees have access to an app which has tools to help improve financial health where needed, including having the opportunity to speak with expert financial coaches.
We are dedicated to setting the best example in the care sector and our pioneering initiatives include being the first operator to introduce a winter fuel contribution of up to £600 for all staff when the energy crisis hit. This initiative cost the business £400,000, but the benefits of protecting the mental health and wellbeing of our team so they could continue to provide the high quality of service to our residents, far outweighs the cost to the company.
The team also has access to a free counsellor-led helpline, and we’ve set up a crisis fund which provides interest-free loans to staff in case of an emergency.
To celebrate our much-valued employees, we also host an annual awards ceremony, with categories ranging from ‘Carer of the year’ to ‘Team of the year’, with residents, family members, visitors and team members voting for their winners.
At Hartford Care, we champion career progression, whether that’s through ‘learning on the job’ and gaining promotions, or partnerships such as with the University of Winchester on an apprentice nursing associate course.
This enables staff to study for a fully funded foundation degree and upon completion they can then take on a nursing associate role, or continue with their studies and convert the qualification into a full nursing degree. This additional 18-month course is also fully funded and following successful completion, they can take on the role of registered general nurse within one of our homes.
Importantly, we are also a resettlement partner with Communities for Ukraine and through this, we’ve already helped several families flee the war in Ukraine. On the programme, all new team members and their families are given free accommodation, including utility costs for six months, in our staff accommodation. Those who have joined us so far, have taken up roles from care assistants to general assistants, and we look forward to welcoming more new team members under the initiative.