A specialist training division set up by independent recruitment company 24-7 Staffing to meet the needs of the healthcare sector is now a fast-growing part of its business.
Faced with a problem recruiting fully qualified staff to fill vacancies in care homes, Chippenham-based 24-7 Staffing set up the division in September 2014 to facilitate training and help tackle the skills shortage in the sector. 
24-7 Staffing, which also has branches in Yate and Amesbury, funds the training and has so far supported different healthcare workers through 481 mandatory, refresher and specialist subject training certificates. It now places staff in 40 care homes across Wiltshire and South Gloucestershire.
Demand remains strong and 24-7 Staffing is managing to fill the majority of vacancies thanks to the new training investment. In the past six months the healthcare division filled 12,544 hours’ worth of care support for clients from one office alone.
24-7 Staffing managing director Julian Thompson, pictured, said: “We set up our healthcare division because of the demand for better qualified care workers, and we fund the training ourselves.
“It has had a massive impact on our business in just a year, and we’re also really delighted to be working in a sector where our candidates are providing such a desperately needed service to vulnerable people in care homes.
“As a company, we’ve taken on three specially trained consultants ourselves to run the division, who have expertise in the healthcare sector.”
The majority of vacancies being filled are temporary, as care homes in the area struggle to cover the workload.
Julian added: “The demand for the service is high, and although we can fill most of the demand we can’t fulfil it all, so we know there is scope for continued investment.”
All candidates placed will already have had some experience in the care sector, but 24-7 Staffing facilitates training to top-up their skills, and also ensures they remain up-to-date with their training.
24-7 Staffing’s training follows the requirements of the new Care Certificate, which came into force in April and is an identified set of standards that health and social care workers adhere to. Training covers standards including safeguarding, health and safety, infection control, and moving and handling. The company has also provided training in epilepsy care and dementia care.
Helen Harvey, a mentor and trainer with The Recruitment and Employment Confederation – of which 24-7 Staffing is a member – assessed the company’s new healthcare division. She said: “They have a clear understanding of the sector, an experienced team in place, robust systems, and a passion for delivering a top quality service. I believe they will make a real difference to the lives of the people they provide their healthcare workers to.”
