Agency Shift Staff vs. Permanent Staff: Finding the Right Balance

In the ever-evolving healthcare industry, finding the right balance between agency shift workers and permanent staff is crucial. Striking the proper balance ensures that patients receive top-notch care while healthcare facilities efficiently manage their resources. In this article, we explore the importance of agency shifts in healthcare.

The Rise of Agency Shift Work

Agency shift workers are a useful temporary staffing solution to meet the demand for staff. These agency shift workers can be used to cover for staff illness, holidays or when a care facility knows that they will be busier than usual. This flexibility is a lifeline, especially during peak periods. The role of agency shift workers extends beyond mere stop gap measures. These professionals come equipped with the training and experience needed to seamlessly integrate into healthcare settings. They understand the urgency and precision required in healthcare delivery, making them an invaluable resource in times of unpredictability.

The Value of Permanent Staff

On the opposite end of the spectrum, permanent staff members play an equally significant role in healthcare. They provide stability and familiarity within the healthcare environment, forming bonds with the care home and its patients, bringing continuity of care to staff and residents alike.

Striking the Balance

Finding the right balance between agency shifts and permanent staff can be difficult. Most care homes try to use agency staff sparingly to “save money” but that is not always best practice. Here at Medilink Nursing, we excel in helping healthcare organisations like yours navigate these issues.

Best Practices for Managing Shifts

Here at Medilink Nursing, we can not only provide a pool of skilled, caring agency staff, but we also offer guidance on best practices for managing agency shifts effectively. We understand the importance of proper scheduling, as well as streamlining communication and onboarding processes. Our telephone lines open at 6:00am in the morning and are manned until 10.30pm. This results in a seamless integration of agency staff into the healthcare facility, ensuring continuity of care and staff morale.

Challenges and Solutions

Every healthcare facility faces unique challenges when it comes to staffing. We have a proven track record of providing innovative solutions tailored to these challenges. From block-bookings to last-minute staffing issues, we can help with supplying agency shift workers or help with your permanent staffing requirements.

What Medilink Nursing Can Provide

We specialise in providing cover staff for last-minute situations. At care establishments, maintaining staffing levels is an important priority, and being understaffed can mean breaching the CQC’s guidelines. So, if someone hasn’t shown up at the shift handover, or calls in sick at your Home, rest assured that we can find you cover right away.

Besides last-minute cover, we also offer a range of standard booking options:

• Block Bookings – If you need someone to cover the same shift for the next 10 weeks, we can have this arranged all at once, saving you from making a further 9 bookings. Handy!
• Specialist 1-to-1 Care – If any of your residents require a little extra attention. Our staff are trained in a range of 1-to-1 areas, including dementia care, palliative care, learning & physical disability care. If you have any extra requirements at all, just let us know, and we’ll see what we can do.
• Short-term Cover – If you’ll be needing regular cover for anywhere up to a year, we class that as short-term cover because we know when the end-date will be.
•  Long-term Cover – For any amount of time greater than a year, we can provide staff on a semi-permanent contractual basis!

Get in touch using the buttons below if we can help with your staffing needs.

Conclusion – Agency Shift Staff vs. Permanent Staff

Balancing agency shifts staff and permanent staff is essential for not just efficiency but for the well-being of residents. Permanent staff will always be a core part of any care home, but it is important not to overlook how important agency shift workers can be.

Here at Medilink Nursing, we have over 25 years of experience with supplying agency staff to companies within the care industry. You can get in touch on 0113 877 6383 or email care@medilink.com if you would like to find out more about what we have to offer.