Welcome to Recruitment & Retention Hub
Below you will find a series of curated resources designed to help you with recruitment and retention needs, we consider both financial and non-financial side of attracting and maintaining staff teams.
If you require any assistance accessing information, or have any question please don’t hesitate to get in touch – we’re always happy to give free advice!
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Care Pay Hub
CarePayHub is a database that provides data-driven standards for care staff pay across the UK. It aims to establish realistic and effective compensation packages that reflect current market conditions and regional variations. CarePayHub helps Case Managers & Financial Deputies determine appropriate pay rates for various care roles, ensuring their offers remain competitive and attractive to potential candidates while maintaining fairness and transparency in staff remuneration.
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Principles for Effective Recruitment & Retention
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Presentations Given
This section introduces presentations that addresses a critical issue in the care industry. It outlines the main topics covered, which include:
- Common challenges faced by professionals in the field
- Strategies for identifying suitable candidates
- Approaches to attracting and engaging potential staff
- Methods for managing costs effectively
- Techniques for maintaining adequate staffing levels and improving retention
The content is based on recent industry insights and offers practical advice for improving recruitment and retention practices. It emphasises the need for adaptability and efficiency in current hiring processes.
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Research Articles
This section showcases our latest research and insights on key issues in the care industry. Here you’ll find expert analysis, data-driven recommendations, and practical strategies covering topics like:
- Workforce trends and challenges
- Recruitment and retention strategies
- Legal and policy impacts on care provision
- Compensation and staff management approaches
Our regularly updated articles aim to keep care professionals informed and equipped to navigate the evolving landscape of care delivery and workforce management effectively.
Rates of pay across the UK (Updated Periodically)
- Below we map of pay rates showing how they differ by area of the UK
- This map is a snapshot of a larger more granular underlying dataset assembled with supplementary rates added (contact us for more information on this)
- Every package is different, these are illustrative figures only below (they are subject to change and may not be accurate or up to date!)
- These rates are calculated by taking the average local area residential care rate then adding a ‘complex care’ supplement to it (reflecting often more challenging care delivery within client’s homes)
Please note this map is not topologically accurate, nor does it reflect the underlying dataset of ‘base’ pay rates, this is only a simple visualisation to help people explore this data and illustrate the regional variations.
On the 25th of April Marcus Williamson spoke at BABICM’s event with further coverage on the Care Crisis, specifically looking at Recruitment and Retention from a regional perspective, you can find the presentation below which covers CarePayHub’s unique benefit.
Download PresentationPrinciples for effective recruitment & retention
The principles for effective recruitment and retention revolve around offering competitive pay, attractive benefits, career development opportunities, and fostering a positive work culture that values employee well-being and recognition.
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Principle 1 - Rate Of Pay
- We need to take into consideration the local ‘Base Pay Rate’. We see this as the foundation, as this will change based on micro factors in the local area from demographic, economic and geographic considerations. Our CarePayHub provides some insight into this.
- Building upon our foundation ‘Base Pay Rate’ considerations of the level of skill required / type of care delivery / rota restrictions will then impact the hourly rate to ensure we are paying the market rate for specific staff requirements of the package.
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Principle 2 - Role Benefits
- Starting from reviewing what is commonly offered by similar employers in the local area, look to try and match these benefits.
- Where local competing employers do not clearly advertise / offer attractive staff benefits this could be an opportunity to entice candidates to your role. Some key benefits valued by UK job seekers when looking for a new role Holiday Allocation 74%, Pension contributions 69%, Private Healthcare 36%, with Travel subsidiary, Health and Wellbeing incentives, Gym Membership / discount, Retail and dining discounts being of lesser importance. Additional benefits such as a ‘Sign on bonus’ are commonly seen.
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Principle 3 - Career Progression, Training & Development
- Creation of long term Personal Development Plans with regular 1:1 reviews. It is vital to invest in support staff to break the concept of support work being a stepping stone occupation to being a lifelong career.
- Look at staff potential and clients need to find opportunities for improvement. Staff could be put on client beneficial training and support them through this, to render the best possible care and in turn they will show a deeper emotional commitment to the client.
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Principle 4 - Culture, Wellbeing & Recognition
Create a culture of positivity, transparency and trust – remind people of belonging and purpose
- Promote transparency through open communication.
- Strengthen unity and respect with team-building activities.
- Lead by example: be positive, proactive, and respectful.
Encourage work-life balance and self-care practices to promote employee wellbeing
- Support in personal crises through mindful scheduling and workload management.
- Recognising and appreciating employees through implementing a recognition system
- Implement a recognition system that celebrates individual and group achievements.
Key Techniques
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Pay the 'going rate'
Pay is not everything, but it needs to be right (tactical rates for the area)
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Evenings & Weekends
Start prioritising candidates (speaking with them on evenings & weekends)
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Mobile Friendly
Methods need adapting to candidates (mobile optimised ads, WhatsApp)
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Promote Vacancy
You need to start selling your role, highlight the training and benefits!
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Pre-Screening
Efficiencies are key (pre-qualification and look beyond the CV)
Hints & Tips for Successful Recruitment
This presentation, delivered as a webinar with BABICM in Oct 2023 by Marcus Williamson, addresses the challenges faced by case managers in recruiting and retaining staff, as highlighted by the BABICM survey, which received a significant response from case managers struggling with these issues.
The presentation aims to provide insights, strategies, and practical solutions to help case managers navigate the complex landscape of staff recruitment and retention in the current “eye of the storm” situation. It covers the following key themes:
- Recruiting quality staff is tough due to the skill gap, but pre-screening techniques can help save time and uncover hidden gems.
- Low employment incentives make attracting candidates difficult, so conversations should focus on the candidates and their motivations rather than just the roles.
- High staff costs are a challenge due to a cost surge, but tactical pay rates and direct employment with a stable, happy team can be the most cost-effective approach.
- Understaffing and retention issues impact the package and family, so identifying and addressing the causes of staff turnover is crucial before focusing on recruitment.
The presentation concludes with a reflection on the need to adapt recruitment methods, prioritise candidates, and be more efficient in the process. It emphasises the importance of setting tactical pay rates, using mobile-optimised ads, and being available to candidates during evenings and weekends.
Download PresentationLatest news & articles
Take a look at our helpful articles, tips and advice.
We're here to help!
If you have any further questions, require more information, or need assistance accessing and utilising the data, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We’re here to help you make informed decisions for your clients.
- If you’re a financial deputy who could benefit from factual information when conducting pay reviews or need support in having conversations with your teams about pay rates (especially when pay rates aren’t increasing), we can provide you with the necessary data and guidance. Additionally, we can help you explore non-financial strategies to attract and retain the staff you need without further burdening client funds.
- For expert witnesses, our information and data can be invaluable in referencing the specific location-based factors influencing the cost of care or the realistic challenges of securing the required staff in a particular area. This can help you provide accurate and well-supported assessments of how a client’s needs may change based on these factors.
- Case managers needing pay or benefits reviewed in a specific area or requiring assistance with recruitment for a particular case are encouraged to get in touch with us. We’re here to support you every step of the way.
Our advice is always free, and we’ll happily provide as much information as we can at no cost. In cases where additional work is required, we’ll be transparent about what it would take to obtain the necessary factual, evidence-driven standpoint to make informed decisions for your clients.
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