2021 has proved to be an exceptionally challenging year, particularly for the healthcare sector. With continued pressures posed by the pandemic, record levels of staff shortages, underfunding and mandatory vaccination legislation has put the whole sector under major strain.

From a recruitment perspective, we’ve faced huge barriers in sourcing healthcare professionals. We’re fortunate that our teams have ongoing relationships with local healthcare talent, and they’ve really stepped up, however demand for social care has continued to rise this year putting much more pressure on healthcare workers.

We saw a significant shift towards the attitude of care homes in 2020 and this has continued throughout the year. As people are seeking alternatives to residential care, demand for domiciliary care has continued to rise.

One of the huge positives that has arisen from the pandemic is the nightingale affect, which saw record numbers of people looking to start a career in healthcare. This alone shows just how caring and compassionate we are as a nation however, this will take a long time to filter through to actually increase staffing numbers.

Recommendations have also been made by the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to make care workers immediately eligible for the Health and Care Worker Visa and placing the occupation on the Shortage Occupation List.

Whilst there is no quick fix to the staff shortages, we’re proud to be working with clients who genuinely value their workforce with many increasing their pay levels and offering more flexible approaches to work.

We’ve also been looking at ways to break down any barriers to accessing a career in care and have connected with local colleges in Oxfordshire to help to change the perception of care amongst college students. By raising the profile of what a career in the sector has to offer including flexibility, progression, job satisfaction and more, we hope that more people will see it as a career of choice.

Despite the challenges faced by the sector and its staff, we’re incredibly proud of all the people we work with. The standard of care delivered has always remained the top priority and we continue to get amazing feedback back from our clients.

We’d like to thank all our healthcare professionals for their continued dedication and for always putting others first. We stand with you and will continue to deliver the best healthcare recruitment services which are even more vital in today’s world.

Wishing everyone a safe and happy Christmas from Paterson Health and Social Care.​