Care Home Staff Admit They Don’t Have Enough Time In The Day to Organise Social Events for Residents

With many care homes facing staff shortages, 42% say that individual care planning is also being overlooked because staff simply don’t have enough hours in their working day to complete all of their admin duties. A further two thirds of care homes admitted the ability to cater properly for residents’ dietary and nutritional needs, is also being affected because of out of date processes. A quarter (25%) of care home staff blamed heavy admin workload on a lack of resource, and another 22% said they regularly forget to update paperwork because of this.

The survey, which polled hundreds of care home workers and managers across the UK, also found that despite these challenges, 80% of staff want to improve care for residents who are suffering as a result of outdated procedures which slow them down and stop them focusing on the most important aspects of their role. But staff say their admin duties must be drastically reduced to make this happen.

Ollie Brand, CEO at catering management technology firm Zupa, commented, “Having the time to organise regular social activities for residents is essential for their happiness and mental wellbeing; and the more creative these can be, the better. Just as with individual care and meal planning, these kinds of activities are pivotal to delivering more personalised care with a human touch.”

Lack of staffing and resource also continues to be a top concern for the sector, with 67% of care workers highlighting this as a problem. A further 21% also said that outdated technology in their care home also slows them down.

“Finding more hours in the day to improve quality of personalised care is a clear objective for care homes right now, and with continued challenges around staff retention and recruitment, freeing up time for care workers must be the key priority. Giving staff more time back in their day to focus less on admin and more on what is important and what they came into care to do, will help to alleviate many of the pressures faced. Adoption of the right technology to automate certain processes, including in the kitchen, is the most logical place to start,” added Brand.

ENDS

Notes to Editors Survey independently conducted by Censuswide Ltd. between 6-11 May 2022 and commissioned by Zupa Ltd. Surveying 330 care home professionals including 100 care home managers across the UK and Northern Ireland. Questions were multiple choice, and in some cases respondents were asked to tick all that apply. Censuswide abides by, and employs members of the Market Research Society, which is based on the ESOMAR principles. To obtain a copy of the executive summary narrative report, please get in touch today: natalie@sublimepr.co.uk

About Zupa (www.zupa.com) Zupa is a UK-based technology company, providing best-in-class catering management software. Designed to help customers to know and grow their business, Zupa’s flagship solution, Caternet, is one of the country’s leading catering management platforms and has been used by food service operators across the hospitality, leisure, education and care industry sectors for the last 14 years. From managers and buyers to chefs and catering teams, Caternet has been developed with the end user in mind, helping businesses to boost operational efficiencies and better control their costs. The one-stop-shop web portal is easy to use, quick to set up, and has no upfront capital costs – with access to multiple features and functionality from procurement through to purchasing, invoice processing, sales analysis, recipe and allergens management and reporting.