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Times are changing, so are we.

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of how we work. Every business across the UK has had to adapt to meet demand. For some high street shops that has meant moving online; restaurants that didn’t offer takeaway services have now found themselves on delivery apps – and the same goes for healthcare. 

We’re seeing a rise in the number of staff vacancies in nursing and residential homes to keep them operational with some care homes reporting over 50% of staff being absent through self-isolation and sickness. Its times like these establishments turn to agencies like Nurseplus for vital staffing support. From companionship to complex care services, our clients trust us to provide exceptional staff to the care sector and this is no different during COVID-19.

Due to social distancing and isolation, we’ve adapted how we work to enable us to continue delivering vital services to our clients in residential and nursing homes. Off the back of the government changes to the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) and allowing furloughed staff to work in healthcare without risking their pay, we’ve adjusted our registration process to make it easier for people to join our team. We’ve also made some changes to our rigorous recruitment and training process to facilitate social distancing measures whilst still providing comprehensive training and skills development. But that doesn’t mean that we’re rushing to come up with new and innovative ways to digitise everything…

As a nation, we’re communicating more. We’re staying in touch with family and friends more than ever and we’re checking in on our colleagues working from home - but this is how we’ve always operated at Nurseplus, this isn’t new to us. We believe in having a people-focused approach to business and that means that through regular communication, we get to know our staff. We understand their commitments and what they’re looking for when they start a career with us - whether that’s a long-term position or simply wanting to help the UK through this pandemic whilst on furlough from their usual job. 

Britons have also come to realise that recognition and appreciation go a long way. Every Thursday at 8pm, we make as much noise as we can to show our key workers that we know what they’ve always known - how much we need them. Nurseplus has always strived to highlight the heroic efforts and sacrifices that social care workers make on a daily basis. It’s great to see that perceptions towards a career in care are changing - because as a nation, we need more people to work in care. We need to ensure the longevity of this cultural shift and the continued understanding of how key the social care sector really is in supporting vulnerable people and the NHS long after this pandemic is over. 

Professor Martin Green OBE, chief executive of Care England, said: “If there is one thing that this dreadful pandemic has shown us it is that the social care workforce is our greatest resource. We must learn from this and train, resource and cherish the workforce accordingly.”

Despite COVID-19, the services we’ve always provided are still being delivered by incredible people up and down the country doing what they do best – delivering compassionate and person-centred care. Collectively, let’s make sure that the shift in acknowledgment and the new-found recognition of social care workers is the legacy of this pandemic. 


Posted on April 30, 2020 by Nurseplus