Issue 145 10.05.23
The weekly online newsletter for the care sector
Recruitment award win for homecare firm A SCOTTISH homecare company has won a prestigious recruitment award, crediting its innovative approach to getting new care professionals on board and meeting the increasing demand. Dubbed ‘the Oscars of the Scottish recruitment industry’, the s1jobs Recruitment Awards recognises all aspects of recruitment and retention across several sectors. Seven Home Instead offices across Scotland collectively won ‘best in-house team’, triumphing over organisations including NFU Mutual and Barchester Healthcare. Suhail Rehman, owner of seven Home Instead offices across Scotland, said: “The social care sector been in high demand over the past few years. As with so many businesses, your team is integral to its success and recruitment has been a priority for so many. We knew that to enhance our recruitment we had to be creative. “Thankfully, it has performed incredibly well and we are so pleased that what we can offer our teams at Home Instead is so important to people looking for a job. We have attracted some enthusiastic care professionals to join our strong team, who care passionately about the support we provide to older people. “We’re honoured to be win an s1jobs Recruitment
Awards, along with well-known organisation such as ScotRail. It’s a credit to our fabulous team, and I can’t wait to see what else they achieve over the coming years.” The Covid-19 pandemic led to home care’s popularity increasing, which meant that there was an increased demand for more care professionals. Home Instead rose to the challenge and launched a campaign encouraging people to consider working in care who haven’t previously, inspiring them to start a career and give so much to others. The s1jobs Recruitment Awards was impressed by Home Instead’s recruitment campaign, which promoted care as a career route for people in other sectors, such as retail and hospitality, who want to try something new. Exploring new channels, such as TikTok, Home Instead showcased its job opportunities to more audiences. While growing the recruitment team from three to seven, Home Instead saw a significant improvement in its recruitment and retention rates. Applications increased by 62 per cent, while employee turnover reduced to 35 per cent. The number of care professionals increased by a third, from 306 to 422 across the whole group of offices in Scotland.
Residents from a Dorset care home followed a countryside trail to a picturesque New Forest viewpoint in the company of three alpacas. The party from Colten Care’s Newstone House in Sturminster Newton set off from the animals’ outdoor pen in Sandy Balls holiday village, taking them on a path up to the True Lovers’ Knot sculpture overlooking Fordingbridge and the Avon Valley. The alpacas – Pip, Dude and Chino – were led by Newstone House residents Joan Drake and Winnie Marriott under the guidance of Away Resorts’ activity leader Curtis Munson.
New home ‘what village needs’ AN MP described a new care home in a former Barnsley mining village as ‘exactly what the village needs’ as he performed the official opening ceremony. The 66-bed Sid Bailey care home is on the site of the former fire station in Brampton and local MP John Healey said he had kept a close eye on its construction, having visited the site several times in the last year since planning approval was granted. He said: “This home is a wonderful facility that is creating jobs for local people and is making excellent use of a site that had been left derelict since the fire station closure. It is exactly what Brampton needs.” Around 60 jobs are being created at the home which makes use of eco-friendly technology such as solar panels and
ground source heat pumps. Home manager Sue Ravenhall added: “The home is industry leading in every way, from the bespoke individual centred care to the design of the building. “The new building has been designed to include everything residents need to live a busy and comfortable life, from accessible sensory gardens to spacious en-suite wet rooms, and even a hair salon on site. “The home has been thoughtfully and tastefully decorated throughout, so the residents can feel truly at home.” Sid Bailey Care Home is part of the Danforth Care Home Group and also includes amenities such as a cinema, library, coffee shops, sensory garden and an on-site beauty and hair salon.
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