This month we visited the Independent Care Group Conference. We spoke to Chairman Mike Padgham, who discusses the current climate and future of the care industry in our exclusive video interview.
McClarrons’ Care and Social Welfare team once again exhibited at the Independent Care Group’s (ICG) Conference and Exhibition, this year held at The Pavilions of Harrogate. On 9th November, around 150 delegates attended the ICG’s 2016 conference, the focus of which was recruitment and retention of staff in the social care sector.
David Brindle, Public Services Editor at The Guardian, chaired the conference and opened with a speech discussing how funding of the social care sector has evolved over the years. Chairman of the Independent Care Group Mike Padgham also spoke, adding his thoughts on the current position of the social care sector. Mr Padgham noted the instability of the sector given the potential effects of Brexit, as well as highlighting the issue of the increasing amount of pressure being put on the NHS due to more and more care homes closing. Although this is not helped by the inadequate funding of the sector, in an exclusive interview with McClarrons, Mr Padgham suggested that the issue may run deeper than funding alone.
The morning’s talks finished with Neil Eastwood, Founder of Sticky People, who echoed the issues raised by both Mr Padgham and Mr Brindle. He emphasised the importance of organisations using their limited resources strategically to ensure that they recruit suitable and motivated staff that they can retain – subsequently reducing the amount of funding wasted on training employees who may leave, or equally by spending on advertising jobs that do not attract a great deal of attention.
Jonathan Copley, McClarrons’ Care & Social Welfare Account Executive, commented on the event: “The conference as usual was highly topical addressing one of the sector’s major issues. Staffing levels and the amount of agency staff used is starting to become a more prominent talking point with insurers these days; they feel consistency with staffing levels shows a better risk for many reasons: happy staff, continuity of care, familiarity and proof of a strong working culture.”
The rest of the day involved delegates being able to attend specialist workshops, getting involved with a panel discussion and speaking with exhibitors at the Care Exhibition.
Jonathan added: “The conference was a fantastic environment for care providers to discuss their concerns as well as adapt and learn new skills thanks to the workshops that were on offer.”
We very much look forward to attending next year’s Conference and Exhibition and hope to see some of you there!
To learn about what McClarrons’ Care & Social Welfare team can offer, visit our dedicated webpage here or get in touch by calling 01653 697055 or emailing care@networkportfolio.co.uk/mcclarroninsurance.com.
