The current workforce constraints in the care services sectors are a major challenge to services delivery in terms of both quality and compliance.
However, those providers who are thinking outside the box are getting in front of this issue. Whether that be through the use of technology or through recruiting in niche markets.
I’ve written on the issue of workforce constraints in the aged care and disability sectors a number of times. Most recently, in light of the challenges around resourcing, mandatory care minutes were introduced as part of the most recent round of aged care reforms. In that article, I argued that aged care providers have been set up to fail because they simply won’t be able to find the workforce required to meet the care minutes stipulated. In addition to the barrage of complaints from families and residents, providers have been told by the Department of Health to expect, as hopes and expectations are dashed, providers will find themselves under the heavy scrutiny of the regulator when they fail to meet mandatory care minute targets or are otherwise found non-complaint on human resourcing accreditation requirements.
There is plenty of evidence to are the sectors are in the midst of a crisis in this regard . CEDA has released research estimating the need for an additional 30,000 to 35,000 direct aged care workers each year for starters. These findings were before the latest aged care reforms mandating minimum care minutes per resident and don’t consider the workforce overlaps between aged care and disability (which is also facing severe shortages).
Is that the entire story though? Should providers in these sectors be doing more? Can they be thinking differently? Following that article, I was contacted by Ray Glickman (Principal from Left Field and former CEO of Amana Living). I would describe Ray as a ‘contrarian’. He specialises in thinking outside the box and has a reputation for challenging prevailing attitudes. So, it was no surprise then when Ray told me that he didn’t agree with me.
While acknowledging that low pay rates and labour market conditions were making it very difficult for care providers to attract and retain staff, Ray argues that providers need to start exploring whether technology can be used to better match worker supply and employer demand. He argues further that there is a latent supply of carers and nurses available for work but that providers are simply not reaching them. Now Ray is chairman of a start-up technology company, CareBridge, that applies digital marketing and Artificial Intelligence to match workers and employers in the care sectors. Clearly there is some bias here, but it does beg the question - are providers really exploring all options available to them? Ray cited a recent example of how the CareBridge platform sourced a pre-screened 370 candidates to fill care roles for a single organisation. In the current market this is almost unheard of.
This provocation from Ray led me to reflect upon the need for providers in these challenging times to really test their commitment to solving problems which have notionally been identified as systemic or external challenges and therefore outside their control. Workforce constraints are a key example. Clearly, the health and care sectors are spending disproportionate amounts of their funding on the treadmill of staff recruitment and the merry-go-round of agency roster filling. Surely the application of new technology must be a key way to slow the tempo of these relentless machines? Other providers are also thinking outside the box in relation to workforce. Some providers have widened their recruitment lens and are actively recruiting in under-appreciated markets like mature-agers and people with disability. They and been rewarded with a loyal workforce, otherwise unappreciated by their competitors.
Now, a technology solution alone is never going to negate the fact that there is a workforce crisis requiring the injection of more funding and labour market reform. However, providers must constantly ask themselves whether there are better ways of doing the things they have always done. In relation to workforce, many providers are already thinking outside the box. Some are leveraging offshore and immigration solutions. Others have widened their recruitment lens and are actively recruiting in under-appreciated markets like mature-agers and people with disability. Those providers understand that, irrespective of the systemic issues, there is no room for them to operate in a world of excuses. That is, they will ultimately be held accountable by the system for the care and supports they deliver.
This article first appeared in Amber Crosthwaite's article for Business News Magazine on 14th of December 2022.
