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{{org_field_name}}

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Staff Retention Policy

Policy Statement

{{org_field_name}} aims to be fully compliant with current staffing regulations. It carefully monitors and reviews its staffing complement and turnover and terms and conditions of service to ensure that it is able to retain staff who are of the required calibre to provide high quality care, and to enhance the practice of these members of staff.

To keep its staff and avoid unhelpful turnover, the service is committed to being a “good employer” by:

• keeping a clear focus on care values and principles in {{org_field_name}} and running of the service
• maintaining a full complement of staff
• fully valuing staff for the work they do
• having leaders and managers available to staff to discuss work problems and issues
• promoting job satisfaction by offering challenges and variety of work in a given role
• always reminding staff that they are doing something worthwhile and are socially valued
• developing competence through supervision and training
• praising and celebrating individual and service achievements
• providing opportunities for professional development and support
• offering working conditions that are accepted by staff as fair and reasonable
• consulting and communicating with staff on all aspects of the running of the service and its development.

This policy should be read and used in relation to other staffing policies, including those that address terms and conditions of service and working practices, and particularly:

• Staff Recruitment and Selection
• Staff Supervision
• Staff Training and Development
• Open Door Policy.

Principles of the Staff Retention Policy

To provide a high quality service of which people who use it and staff alike can be proud, {{org_field_name}} is committed to:

• achieving staffing levels in terms of numbers and skills that are appropriate for the number of people being cared for and to meet their assessed needs
• assessing with partner professionals and organisations each individual’s care needs to work out the level of support needed
• providing good continuity of care by making sure that its staff work as teams and that they have good teamwork
• developing effective communication between team members
• new staff are always well supervised before they are assessed as competent to work without direct supervision on any regulated activity
• ensuring that staff are always well briefed to meet people’s daily needs and to respond appropriately to the different care situations that arise
• working closely with other carers, professionals and agencies involved in the service provision
• praising, celebrating and rewarding service and individual achievements.

Having the Right Staff to Meet People’s Needs

{{org_field_name}}’s staffing complement and levels continue to be based on regular systematic reviews and assessments of its staffing needs.

1. All staff have clearly defined job descriptions, supervision and personal and professional development plans.
2. All staff are expected to shadow other members of staff during their induction period to better understand their own and others’ roles and responsibilities.
3. All staff job descriptions are linked to achieving the individual goals of the people who use the service as set out in their care plan.
4. Staff are made familiar, and are expected to comply, with the respective code of conduct/practice for their profession or occupation.
5. Staff are also made familiar with and are expected to comply with {{org_field_name}}’s safeguarding policies.
6. All nursing staff and allied health professionals employed by {{org_field_name}} (where applicable) comply with the standards of conduct and practice established by their own regulatory bodies.
7. Staff are only expected to go beyond their job descriptions in exceptional circumstances to make sure people’s needs are being met.
8. The contribution of volunteers supplement and not replace paid staff roles and volunteers do not undertake tasks which are the responsibility of paid staff.

As part of their work roles all staff are expected to:

• get to know and develop a relationship with the people they support
• be able to meet individual needs with particular attention to gender, age, cultural background and personal interests
• be aware of their own knowledge and skill limitations and know when it is appropriate to involve someone else with more specific expertise.

Commitment to Teamwork

{{org_field_name}} is committed to having an effective staff team, with sufficient numbers and complementary skills to support people’s assessed needs at all times. The rota and total numbers of staff planned to be on duty at any one time will therefore be set according to the:

• numbers and needs of the people to be cared for
• ages of the people to be cared for
• locations of people’s homes
• skills and experience of the staff
• availability of staff (part time/full time/sickness/leave, etc).

In terms of staff experience, it is {{org_field_name}}’s policy that:

• there is always an appropriate mix of staff with relevant experience, qualifications and skills available to people receiving care during every every home care visit
• staff who are under 18 on appointment and older staff new to care work who are providing personal care to people using the service are always directly supervised by more experienced staff members until assessed as being capable of working away from direct supervision
• staff left in charge of {{org_field_name}} are all suitably qualified and experienced to be in a position of responsibility
• staff who are initially appointed as trainees (including all staff under 18) are as a matter of course registered on a nationally-certified training programme
• any staff members from overseas who do not use English as their first language receive support to overcome any immediate communication difficulties they might be having
• extra staff will be called in at periods of high demand and emergencies, if necessary
• where agency staff have to be used, every effort is made to ensure that a reputable agency is used, that staff provided are of high quality and are suitably qualified and experienced, and that preference is given to using agency staff who know the work of {{org_field_name}} and the people who use it already.

Training

Staff who are new to care work are inducted into their roles in line with the national standards and are made aware of other staff roles and responsibilities and {{org_field_name}}’s commitment to teamwork as part of the training process.

Staff with previous experience of care work but who are new to this work setting have an induction programme related to their roles and responsibilities. Further training is provided as and when new roles are introduced.

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Responsible Person: {{org_field_registered_manager_first_name}} {{org_field_registered_manager_last_name}}

Reviewed on: {{last_update_date}}

Next review date: this policy is reviewed annualy (every 12 months). When needed, this policy is also updated in response to changes in legislation, regulation, best practices, or organisational changes.

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