Attracting and retaining aged care workers: A national challenge

Posted on: 20/09/2022

 

Turnover is one of the biggest challenges facing aged care in Australia today; how do we manage increasing levels of demand in a sector that is grappling with the recruitment and retention of carers?

The eye of a perfect storm.

At a time when expectations are at an all-time high and consumers vote on their feet – carers report their workload is overwhelming and they don’t have enough time to perform their duties.

Common concerns voiced nationwide

• being responsible for too many clients

• lack of ongoing training

• no support from other team members

• lack of empathy from management concerning work conditions.

Coupled with an ageing population and increasing demand to remain in the home, the work of carers has become more physically demanding and complex. It’s no surprise that the turnover contagion is in force throughout the aged care sector.

Shifting the paradigm.

So how do we keep and grow quality workers within the sector?

Organisations need to invest in building capable leaders who can lead effectively and engage with their workers.

Our data shows that there’s a large gap in self-care. Leaders must assist carers to recognise that to look after others, aged care workers must first look after themselves. Carers are at high risk from burn out which is also costly from absences and resignations and can place at risk those that the workers care for, due to human error, distraction and safety breaches.

Sentiment feedback must be solicited and acted upon. With insights, employers can provide the right support, training, and flexibility to create meaningful career pathways that will appeal to a wider, more diverse talent pool.

Data Drives Insight’s Suite of Industry Tailored Tools

How can we help your organisation to attract and keep quality workers? Data Drives Insight (DDI) has created industry leading assessment tools to support the growth, development and engagement of leaders and carers across the care industry.

When leaders lead, the whole team thrives.

DDI’s Care Industry Leadership Assessment tool (CILCA360) is based on the Aged Care Quality Standards and endorsed by ACSA, LASA and HSSO. CILCA360 transforms leadership performance by exploring a leader’s current views, beliefs and behaviours and identifying improvement pathways. Support is provided post-diagnostic by an accredited coach, to guide leaders on their personal development journey and drive better outcomes.

Carers are the cornerstone of the aged care sector.

DDI’s Care Industry Staff Capability Assessment tool (CISCA) enables you to see correlations between staff capability, culture, engagement and their ability to deliver quality care. It identifies levers for change and illuminates areas of focus to enable a targeted investment approach.

Want to see the full picture?

Combining CILCA & CISCA gives you a powerful, comprehensive insight into your organisation’s leadership impact and staff capability, engagement and culture.

DDI’s Co-Founder Abby Hunt and Senior Researcher Sasha Burnham are presenting on day 3 of the ACCPA Conference (Friday 14^th October). They welcome a conversation with you to demonstrate the benefits these tools can bring to your organisation. abby@datadrivesinsight.com and Sasha@datadrivesinsight.com