The Importance of Care Agency Staff in Residential Homes

Residential homes provide a safe and supportive environment for people who need long-term care. However, they can sometimes be short-staffed, which can lead to a number of problems.

Problems Caused by Staff Shortages in Homes – Residents

The main issue that arises when Homes don’t have enough staff is that residents may not receive the care they need. When there aren’t enough staff members, residents may not get the assistance they need with bathing, dressing, eating, etc. They may also not get the social interaction they require to lead as happy and independent a lifestyle as possible. Loneliness, can be a big problem for residents, so we’ve also prepared a helpful guide to dealing with loneliness you may find informative. How To Avoid Loneliness In Elderly people.

Problems Caused by Staff Shortages in Homes – Staff

Naturally, short staffing can also cause problems among your existing staff – most notably, burnout. When staff members are overworked, they are more likely to make mistakes, and are less satisfied in their positions. Low morale often makes staff more likely to leave their jobs, which creates even more staffing problems. The care industry, as a whole, is struggling to retain staff due to these issues. Aside from taking on agency staff, we’ve prepared some other tips for dealing with burnout.

How Can Care Agency Staff Help?

This is where care agency staff can help. Care agency staff are experienced and qualified professionals who can provide temporary or permanent care to residents in residential homes. Agency care staff are perfect for situations like holiday cover, last-minute absences, sudden increases in demand, and as a way of trialling candidates with a view to taking them on as permanent staff members.

Care agency staff can also help to reduce burnout among staff members. By providing temporary relief, care agency staff can take the pressure off regular staff, ensuring they aren’t overworked. This can help to improve morale and productivity among staff members.

If you are the manager of a Residential Home, you should consider using care agency staff – they can help to ensure that your residents receive the care they need, and they can also help to reduce burnout among your staff members. We have prepared some tips on managing staff leave, which you can read here.

Another important benefit of using care agency staff is their flexibility. You can decide when to take on extra staff, and for how long – which is much easier and simpler than hiring & training new staff. This flexibility allows Residential Homes to temporarily increase their staff numbers during periods of high demand – this saves money because there’s no need to keep them on when demand falls and fewer staff are needed.

Care Agency Staff, Provided by Medilink Nursing!

Medilink is a nursing agency that provides temporary care agency staff to Homes and hospitals across England. But why use our services over anyone else’s?

• We make sure our care agency staff have plenty of experience working in Homes in the UK, before we take them on. From our candidates, we require 2 years’ worth of relevant UK healthcare experience within the last 5 years – with references. This way, we can ensure our care agency staff can slot right into your Home with minimal training.
• We pride ourselves on our ability to find cover in last-minute situations. If you find yourself urgently needing staff to cover for a no-show, give us a ring.
• We provide training courses for all our care agency staff, ensuring that they are up-to-date with the industry’s best practices.
• Our staff are trained in a variety of specialised care services, such as dementia care, Parkinson’s care, stroke care, palliative care, 1-to-1 care and more.

If you’re interested in Medilink’s services, and would like to learn more, you can use the buttons below to have a look at our services page, or contact us directly – our number is 0113 877 6383, or you can email care@medilinknursing.com. We’re happy to answer any questions you may have!