When a shift needs covering, the immediate priority is finding someone to work it. 

That’s understandable. The service still needs to run, support still needs to be delivered, and the people using the service still need the same standard of care. The challenge is that staffing shortages rarely affect just one shift, when vacancies, sickness or increased demand continue for a period of time, the effects often start showing up elsewhere. 

• Managers spend more time arranging cover  

• Planned work gets pushed back 

• Team meetings are shortened or postponed  

• Staff pick up extra shifts to help out 

Before long, what was meant to be a temporary issue starts becoming part of normal working life. 

You might recognise situations such as: 

• Supervisions being delayed because there are more urgent priorities 

• New starters receiving less support because experienced staff are stretched 

• Managers spending large parts of the week dealing with staffing arrangements 

• Staff regularly working additional hours to keep things running 

• Less time available for service development or quality improvement work 

 

None of these things happen because people aren’t committed. In many services, teams work incredibly hard to keep standards high despite ongoing challenges. 

The difficulty is that constantly working around staffing gaps takes time and energy away from other important areas of the service. 

What difference can additional staffing support make? 

• Shifts are covered 

• Time for managers to focus on the service rather than the rota 

• Time for supervisions, training and development 

• Time for experienced staff to support newer colleagues 

• Time to work on improvements that have been sitting on the to-do list for months 

• Reduce the pressure that builds when the same people are repeatedly asked to do more 

 

How Halo Staffing can help 

Every service is different. Some organisations contact us because they need urgent cover for a short period. Others are looking for more consistent support over several months. 

Whatever the situation, our focus is on understanding what will genuinely help. We work with care providers to supply trained, reliable staff who can support services during periods of increased demand, sickness, annual leave and ongoing recruitment challenges. 

Find out how we can support you, your team and the individuals you support by clicking the button below.