Big News for Care Homes: From April 2024 -Flexible Working is a Day One Right
From April 2024 the statutory right to request flexible working applies from the first day of employment; employees will no longer have to wait 6 months to make a statutory working request. This of course applies to Care Homes and Domiciliary Care which should update their employee handbooks with the latest Day One Right Flexible Working Policy.
With staff shortages currently crippling the industry, care homes must offer flexible working if they are to attract and retain care workers who are drawn to other care homes and sectors (like deliveries), which offer flexible working. Care homes demand round-the-clock staffing which poses a unique challenge unlike the typical 9–5 business model. It may seem impractical for care homes to offer flexible working in this environment, but it is entirely possible to craft fleixble shift patterns in care homes that ensure resident safety while also considering staff well-being.
Care homes can offer flexible working
By using sophisticated but user-friendly staff scheduling software like Rotacloud care homes can and should offer a range of flexible shift patterns to attract and retain staff from the list below of popular Care Home Shift Patterns in the UK. The more of these shift patterns that your establishment can offer the more flexible the offering will be and the more attractive your care home will be too staff.
- 2-shift Days: One prevalent shift pattern divides the 24-hour day into equal halves—a day-shift and a night-shift, each spanning 12 hours. Despite its simplicity, this arrangement presents challenges. Staff working 12-hour shifts endure long hours and face social isolation due to antisocial timings. Research indicates a higher rate of errors among those on extended shifts compared to their 8-hour counterparts (International Journal of Nursing Studies).
- 3-shift Days: Another common approach divides the day into three 8-hour shifts: 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, 4:00 pm to midnight, and midnight to 8:00 am. To address potential staffing gaps, some homes extend the night shift slightly, bridging neighboring shifts. Despite the predictability, night shifts often encounter issues like cancellations and tardiness.
- Variable Shifts: Certain Care Homes adopt a flexible approach, varying shift start and end times based on the day of the week. This strategy offers staff a diverse work experience and mitigates the likelihood of monotony. However, managing such shifts demands a robust scheduling system to track and organize.
- Split Shifts: Split shifts, entailing two work sessions in a day or a prolonged break between shifts, present logistical challenges and are generally unpopular among healthcare workers. The substantial interim period between shifts consumes valuable time that could be spent commuting or resting.
Navigating the intricacies of Care Home shift patterns necessitates striking a delicate balance between resident care, staff preferences, and operational efficiency. By assessing the unique needs of both residents and staff, administrators can tailor shift patterns that optimize care delivery while fostering a supportive work environment.
Employee Handbook for Care Homes and Domiciliary Care
An Employee Handbook sets out the entitlement and rights of staff, and they set out the policies and procedures that must be followed, enabling a restaurant and it’s staff to act according to employment legislation. Without one, your establishment will most likely be in breach of employment legislation and be at risk of punitive action. Take a look at this specialist Employee Handbook UK 2024.
You can find a standard employment contract here which is suitable for care home staff
Care Home Rota Software Apps save your industry time and money
Providing high quality care means having the right people in the right places at the right time. Without a clear schedule in place, you risk mix-ups that can cost time, money, (in having to hire expensive agency staff), and can undermine your service.
By using one of the leading Care Home and Domiciliary Care scheduling app such as Rotacloud you can more effectively plan and manage staffing and costs due to key features like automated scheduling, and staff costs due to automated payroll calculations. Care Home and Domiciliary Care Rota software is designed and optimized for use by care homes and domiciliary care providers. 62% of care home organizations claim that they spend the majority of their time each week managing their staff rota, but this time spent of staff rotas can be reduced dramatically by using best of breed care home and domiciliary care rota software.
If you are a smaller company of perhaps 100 or less employees you might not need software, and if this is the case why not try out our simple Downloadable Excel Staff Rota.
Dependency-Based Staffing Calculator
Spreadsheet to calculate staffing levels in a care home, it works based on the average number of minutes of care the person requires care for key activities.
