JANUARY - THE MONTH FOR RECRUITMENT!

So we are well into January, perhaps the most miserable month of the year. Christmas is over, the weather is poor, and dry Januarys are being endured.

Yet January is traditionally good for one thing – recruitment.

More people look for new jobs in January than in any other month of the year (September is second best when people return from holiday).

Home care, and social care in general. Is facing its worst ever recruitment crisis.

There are numerous factors contributing to the shortfall. Brexit, competition from hospitality, which is paying far more than pre-pandemic, the NHS poaching our staff.

But perhaps the biggest factor is fear.

There is a cohort of excellent would-be staff out there who are frightened to do home care, because they feel they are exposing themselves to the risk of Covid.

This is probably misguided. Well-protected by vaccines and PPE, home care staff have no higher risk of infection than other jobs.

It would be great to have this cohort back in the profession.