Staffing issues are a well-known challenge across adult social care, with over 250,000 vacant posts across the sector. While a lot of attention is rightly given to the impact on frontline workers, the strain on managers is equally important.
Every day, social care managers juggle the competing demands of patient care and the logistics that keep services running. They balance operational, administrative and emotional needs for themselves, their staff and the people they support. But when the pressure starts to take its toll, who’s there to support the supporters?
The Pressure on the Sector
Despite an increase in recruitment spending and an increase in international recruitment in particular, vacancies remain high, showing that a quick-fix approach is not enough to create sustainable change.
Although temporary and bank staff are vital to the sector, it is worth noting that turnover is higher for staff on zero-hours contracts. It’s also higher for staff who don’t receive regular training, and those without social care qualifications, showing that staff are more likely to remain in role when they feel that their careers are being invested in.
Statistics also show that care workers are less likely to leave when they’re paid above the minimum wage, demonstrating a need for investment from a government level to resolve the issue.
The Weight of Responsibility
Challenges for managers include:
- Balancing shift and staffing shortages with patient care needs.
- Administrative and operational demands.
- Emotional strain – including workplace stress, burnout, personal issues and compassion fatigue.
The consequences of these include:
- Long working hours, missed breaks and opportunities to eat, reflect and relax.
- Guilt in feeling unable to deliver to the best of their ability.
- Anxiety over maintaining care with fewer resources.
- Heightened stress levels.
- Rising sickness absence and difficulties with staffing and retention.
The Health Impact
When we’re under pressure, our fight-or-flight response is triggered, and our body is flooded with stress hormones. This can weaken our immune systems, and cause health issues such as high blood pressure, digestive problems, and symptoms like headaches, pounding heartbeat and rapid breathing.
Stress can have a big effect on mental and emotional health too. It can cause depression, anxiety and insomnia. It can also harm our relationships and how much we enjoy life outside of work. It can also impact sex drive and fertility.
We spend a big proportion of our time in work, and it influences our quality of life. If our workplace isn’t somewhere we can grow, learn and feel motivated and supported, how can we thrive?
Addressing the Crisis
It’s not enough to know that stress carries risks for you, your team and the people you dedicate your time to supporting. It’s vital to take action to support yourself and your team.
Short term strategies for managers:
- Open communication within and between teams, to see where burdens can be shared and where tasks are being duplicated.
- Use mental health and wellbeing resources available, including mental health EAP services, educational resources and wellbeing resources.
- Use digital solutions, like shift-matching platforms, to fill last-minute gaps efficiently.
- Make the most of your time off – whatever that looks like. Be gentle with yourself and try not to engage in negative self-thoughts.
Long-term organisational solutions:
- Invest in robust wellbeing resources.
- Invest in workforce development, building a network of skilled workers.
- Implement flexible ways of working, such as compressed work weeks, job-sharing, flextime, digitised onboarding and training, and making working from home accessible where possible - for example for administrative duties.
- Explore recruitment and retention strategies, including accessible training and onboarding, flexible working, regular pay and performance reviews and investment in CPD.
- Build a diverse pool of full-time, part-time, bank and external staff, and a streamlined process for filling staffing gaps.
- Provide managers with opportunities to share their experiences and concerns.
- Advocate for system-wide reform and investment in social care, including a sector-specific minimum wage.
Innovative approaches making a difference:
- Digital staffing solutions streamlining and bolstering staff shortage issues.
- Flexible, digital training and learning and development opportunities for staff, such as eLearning and webinars.
- Platforms for staff to easily access wellbeing resources, EAPs and financial support.
- Skills for Care promotes and recommends adjustments for flexible working, where possible, to improve retention and job satisfaction. Their guide on understanding and implementing formal and informal flexible working arrangements can be found here.
Building a Resilient Future
The impact of staffing issues are far-reaching and complex, but working to resolve them is key to the long-term future for the social care workforce and the sector as a whole.
What could the future of care look like if we prioritise the wellbeing of everyone involved in social care – the people supported, staff, and those who support and manage both?
