HC-One is planning to roll-out a new flexible working initiative to thousands of care professionals following a successful pilot in the Northeast and Northwest of England and Scotland.

‘Flex Force’ enables colleagues to work flexibly across multiple homes in a given area, receiving guaranteed and consistent pay each month and have complete access to HC-One’s full induction, standard training and other standard benefits, including paid annual leave.  

John Handley, people director at HC-One, said: “For too long, care work has been associated with rigid shift patterns while much of the rest of the world of work has adopted more flexibility and balance.  

“We’re really pleased to be able to offer more flexibility for people who give so much to bring kindness and compassion to residents in our care.  

“The results of HC-One’s pilot have been really encouraging in boosting staff morale across the board. We’ve also been able to grow our workforce, welcoming people from a more diverse range of backgrounds into a career in care. We are looking forward to bringing Flex Force’s combination of flexibility and security to more of our homes across the UK, before opening up Flex Force as an option in other roles.” 

The scheme covers care assistants and nurses, with plans to recruit senior care assistants in the near future to ensure that a range of roles across the social care workforce has access to positive, practical and mutually beneficial working arrangements. By moving away from traditional shift patterns, Flex Force allows colleagues to design their shift patterns around their studies, family life or other commitments.  

Flex Force colleagues choose between three contracts depending on the hours that best suit them over a 12-week period. Individuals can select the shifts that best suit their lifestyle in this timeframe – meaning that some weeks they may choose not to work any hours, as long as they meet their agreed contracted total hours by the end of the 12-week period. 

HC-One’s announcement follows a highly successful six-month trial period, which saw 103 colleagues hired on Flex Force contracts, for a combined total of 17,000 hours. During this time, every participating home’s agency use decreased significantly, while occupancy increased, thanks to the additional capacity and flexibility.