With an already overwhelming workload and the varying day-to-day needs of the people in their care, it can be a challenge for existing care staff to provide the best possible care consistently to care home residents or at home clients.
Add employee illness and stress into the mix, and the task of getting everything done and assigning a fair and manageable workload can become almost impossible for care home managers. Therefore, locum staff can be an essential addition to the workforce. Managed well, a locum team member could help to reduce the burden and ensure that clients and their families are well looked after and fully satisfied with the care being delivered.
As with any staffing shortfall, there are pros and cons to using locum staff within a care setting:
Pros
- Locum staff can help reduce stress on existing team members, help cover employee illness and ensure that residents receive the care they deserve.
- Residents and at home care clients often aren’t physically able to get out to meet new people, so locum staff can be a welcoming and friendly new face.
- As the workload is eased, staff are able to spend more time interacting with their charges and giving them some much needed one-on-one time.
Cons
- Securing quality new locum staff can be an expensive and time-consuming process if you carry out the recruitment yourself.
- Sourcing qualified and experienced locum staff for the care sector is difficult if you don’t have immediate access to a current, up-to-date pool of suitable applicants.
- Due to time constraints, some regulatory requirements can be overlooked and leave you open to legal action if the recruitment process doesn’t adhere to UK law.
