Top HR challenges in the care sector

In the care sector, managing HR properly is crucial for a happy workforce and creating a team who can provide the best care for your service users. It’s a challenging time for the care industry, what with  challenges and concerns about the new CQC framework and Employment Law changes on the horizon that could have a fundamental shift in the way you manage your business – so our expert partner Citation are here to shine a light on some of the biggest challenges you might face running a care business.

1. Staffing shortages and high turnover

One of the most persistent challenges for care businesses is attracting and retaining top talent. Care roles have low pay and high emotional and physical demands which means staff get burned out easily, causing high turnover – and in fact, the turnover rate within social care is 31%, compared to the UK average of 15%. Retaining skilled care staff is difficult, as they’re often drawn to roles with higher pay or lighter workloads, so you need to think about effective strategies to improve retention, focus on flexible working, employee wellbeing and creating a supportive work environment.

2. Wage pressures and National Minimum Wage (NMW) increases

The National Minimum Wage (NMW) is set to rise on 1 April 2025 from £11.44 to £12.21 per hour as part of the government’s plan to support low-wage workers and reduce income inequality. This pressure is going to be particularly tough on care providers, but meeting higher wage standard is essential for staff retention. It could mean you need to rethink your operational costs to manage the increases.

3. Compliance with Health & Safety regulations

Regulatory compliance is a core concern in the care sector, especially when it comes to Health & Safety standards, as this is critical to patient and employee welfare. The evolving regulations around patient handling, infection control and premises safety mean HR teams will need to put consistent and up to date training in place. It can be tough to figure out exactly how to encourage your staff to complete training in such a fast-paced environment, but you could consider things like:

• • • • • • • Breaking the learning down into more manageable modules so it’s easier to find time to complete it throughout the day
            • Utilising e-learning solutions that can be accessed from mobile devices
            • Making the training immediately relevant to their jobs so they see the value of it

4. Addressing employee burnout and mental health

As we already mentioned, care staff face big emotional and physical demands which easily leads to burnout – and a 2022 study revealed that 60% of adult social care staff report feeling overwhelmed and at risk of burnout. Addressing this involves building robust mental health support and wellbeing programmes which can be challenging for cost-sensitive businesses. But providing accessible mental health resources, fostering a supportive culture and improving work-life balance is crucial to protect the wellbeing of your employees.

5. Training and development for specialised care

Adult social care businesses are also facing increased demand for specialised training, but consistent training can be a challenge, especially for small providers. Inadequately trained staff can put patient safety at risk, so you could look into accessible, scalable training programmes to make sure your standards stay high among all your staff.

Citation – here to help.

HR and Health & Safety provision in care is about to get a lot more important, especially in light of upcoming Employment Law reforms. To see how Citation could help your business, get in touch on 0345 844 1111 or click here and remember to quote ‘Care England’ when enquiring to access preferential rates.