Amber Ainsworth, communications manager at online recruitment solution provider Florence, discusses what care homes should consider when using agency staff this winter.
Throughout the pandemic, the agency workforce in social care have been there to fill last-minute rota gaps, take on extra shifts and work exceptionally long hours. Unfortunately, the rhetoric around using agency staff remains increasingly negative.
Particularly in the media, agency staff have been accused of moving between care settings each day and therefore increasing the spread of infection. Despite this, they continue to go to work and provide essential care, administer medication and support people at the end of their lives, just as their colleagues in the permanent workforce do.
Due to the increase in the number of Covid-19 cases in the UK, the government has advised care homes to limit movement of agency staff between homes. For homes relying on agency staff to fill rota gaps, this will cause significant difficulties.
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