Abbots Care, a home care provider based in Hertfordshire that employs 492 people, has offered its care workers a £400 bonus as an incentive to stay in their jobs.
A new mandatory Covid-19 (Coronavirus) vaccines law for social workers came into effect in November, which saw 300 care workers in Hertfordshire leaving their jobs. With more than 100,000 roles currently empty in the sector, this led the UK government to launch a campaign to recruit carers in England and encourage them to remain in their jobs.
The initiative includes a £7.8 million investment that has been part funded with £2.8 million from the UK government’s Adult Care Services Workforce and Recruitment Grant. A total of £5 million will also be provided from the joint Hertfordshire County Council and NHS Clinical Commissioning Groups funds.
According to the organisation, the new fund gives care home providers like themselves support with recruitment in the future and helps to make a positive change to employees’ lives.
Camille Leavold, managing director and co-founder of Abbots Care, expressed concerns that recruitment would be a challenge after the mandatory vaccine law, believing retention and recruitment to be tougher now than before the pandemic.
She explained that as well as the challenges Coronavirus has presented, winter will bring additional pressure to those working in the industry to keep residents, who are in need of care and support, well.
“Our highly skilled staff work incredibly hard, 365 days of the year. We’re delighted that the public sector in Hertfordshire is acknowledging the part we play with this funding, not just in response to the pandemic, but in keeping the wider health service running smoothly,” Leavold added.
Conservative councillor Richard Roberts, executive member for Adult Social Care and chairman of Hertfordshire’s Health and Wellbeing Board, said: “We want to show our appreciation and make sure [care workers] are rewarded for their continued dedication and effort.”
