Specialist brain injury case management company, NCM UK, explains why investing in its workforce is not only crucial for staff retention, but also in delivering the best care for their clients.
A recent report from the national organisation Skills for Care highlighted huge gaps in the UK adult social care workforce and it’s no secret that staff recruitment and retention has long been a challenge in the sector.
The latest figures from Skills for Care show that while 400,000 people started roles in the independent and local authority sectors in 2023-24 – 330,000 also left their roles.
High turnover rates of around 30 per cent among care workers not only pose challenges for employers but crucially, disrupt the continuity of client’s care and support making it harder to build and maintain positive relationships.
Since it was founded by Martin Gascoigne in 2010, NCMUK has expanded to employ over 100 members of staff, many of whom have been with the company for a significant period of time.
As an independent, family-run business, NCMUK sees its workforce as an extension of this and is equally committed to both its clients and its highly experienced and professional team of staff who uphold its vision and values, explains operations director, Sharon Piper, who has been with the company since 2015.
“I started with NCMUK as Office Supervisor after being in an education environment for many years which included being part of the professional mentoring team,” says Sharon.
“I settled in quickly and was soon promoted to Operations Manager and finally to Operations Director.
In her role, Sharon works very closely with clients and support staff, and as well as keeping all policies and procedures up to date— and making sure everyone gets paid on time— she is responsible for organising staff training.
“The workload is very varied and busy but always interesting,” she says.
“My colleagues have come to know me as getting the job done without a lot of fuss and being responsive and organised and always willing to offer support where needed.”
Prioritising professional development
In a rapidly-changing sector, it is crucial that staff have access to training courses to continue their professional development and keep up with the latest best practice guidelines, she explains.
Since Covid pandemic, much of this training has been held virtually making it more accessible and time and resource-efficient for all members of the team.
“It is continual learning that can turn staff from good at their jobs, to being great at what they do and having pride and the ability to complete any task to a good standard,” says Sharon.
“This also benefits in-team morale which promotes a positive working environment.”
She adds: “I also get to attend a variety of training personally to keep up with the ever-changing way we need to work.”
For NCM UK, the pandemic reinforced the importance of employing a team of hardworking and dedicated staff who will continue to provide their services to a high level even through difficult times, Sharon explains.
The company ensured that no one on the team was furloughed and assigned staff to new roles to deal with the daily and weekly challenges as they came.
The administrative team worked from home during the initial stages and support staff continued to visit clients following Government guidelines.
Providing a high standard of care for clients
Research shows that the five key factors for staff retention are higher pay, non-zero-hours contracts, full-time work, training access, and relevant qualifications, with turnover said to reduce by half when all of these are met.
But not only does NCM UK’s commitment to its workforce keep the team motivated and feeling valued, but also ensures they are providing the best possible standard of care for clients.
“At NCMUK we feel that providing staff with a foundation of knowledge and skills needed for their job will help them provide better care for our vulnerable clients,” says Sharon.
“In this way we can be confident that we are delivering a high quality service and the best experience we can at all times, thereby ensuring that NCMUK is well placed to meet the needs of clients.”
Find out more about NCM UK’s specialist case management services here
