Are recruitment changes ahead for health and social care?

It’s promising to hear that the government will be publishing a green paper on care and support for older people by summer 2018. 

It has been recognised that a long-term and sustainable solution is required to challenge the social care crisis and ensure older people are able to access the care they need.

Secretary of State for Health (and more recently also Social Care), Jeremy Hunt said: “We are committed to reforming social care to ensure we can guarantee everyone dignity and security in old age. It is important we consider a wide variety of views on the future of the social care system – as our ageing population continues to grow it is absolutely vital that we get this right.”

The government has said they will “work with independent experts, stakeholders and users to shape the long-term reforms that will be proposed in the green paper.” It will be subject to a full public consultation following its initial publishing date.

A huge barrier for the sector continues to be the funding constraints from government and local authorities. It affects the rate of pay healthcare recruiters are able to offer, and alongside other pressures, as well as negative media, health and social care is certainly seen as a less attractive career path.

Recruitment and retention is a crucial element for the industry, and here at Nurseplus, we hope to see this addressed within the proposed green paper. Skills for Care has announced it as one of their priorities for 2018 and are proposing to work with employers and partners to make a strong submission to the paper, ensuring that recruitment and retention issues are integral to the discussion.

Nurseplus are also interested to find out the results of the Health Committee’s Nursing Workforce Inquiry. The inquiry will look at the current and future scale of the shortfall of nursing staff and will also assess the impact of new routes into nursing. Healthcare recruiters are no strangers to the demand for nursing staff from clients, those of which include hospitals, nursing homes and supported living providers.

Whatever the outcome of the green paper, it is important that as an industry, we continue to adapt to health and social care pressures. Nurseplus will remain a high-quality recruiter and plans to address the market need by attracting a quality workforce and continuing to invest heavily in the development and training of the company’s dedicated staff.

The care workers at Nurseplus are vital to the future of health and social care and whilst this is recognised, more needs to be done to change the negative perception of this highly rewarding career choice.

Looking for flexible work in your area? Find out more about a career in care with Nurseplus.