How to Better Manage Staffing Shortages at Your Healthcare Facility

In Australia, difficulties in recruiting and retaining skilled experienced healthcare staff were reported in 2002 as occurring in both the public and private sectors in this Parliamentary report. At the time it was anticipated that the situation would not improve in the foreseeable future.

In Chapter 2 of this report, titled Nurse shortages and the impact on health services, anecdotal evidence indicated that "75 per cent of nurses in hospital wards were talking about leaving, and that some hospitals reported that they experience a 30 per cent turnover of nurses each year." This report also indicated that nurses were working greater amounts of overtime, and there had been an increased use of agency nurses.

While much has changed in the world since 2002, what rings true is the increased use of agency nurses and healthcare staff. At Health Staffing we’re proud of the role our agency staff, both nurses, assistant nurses and many other role types, play in assisting Facility Managers, Hospitals and Healthcare providers when they are managing their staffing rosters.

In today's article I explore how my team and I maintain a high quality of agency staff, and suggest a number of ways you can better manage staff shortages.

Our Network of High Quality Agency Staff

Our family oriented approach has helped us attract some of the best healthcare agency staff available in NSW and is the reason we’re known as one of the leading staffing agencies for aged care, disability and healthcare services.

Meet [insert staff name]. [She/he] has been a valuable member of the Health Staff team since [insert date]. [insert staff name] relies on her work at Health Staff as her main source of income, because we pay above award rates and are proud of the family environment we nurture with our team. We actively recognise outstanding effort with our Employee of the Month program. Each month's winner is awarded a gift voucher.

We understand many of our staff have responsibilities as parents and are juggling these roles with their work duties. For this reason, our valued team members like the option to work different shift times. When they are booked for a shift, this offers some certainty in their week and they can make their childcare plans around their work commitments.

The Hidden Cost of Cancelling Agency Staff

Staffing agencies have become essential tools to streamline hiring and reduce administrative effort. When cancelling a booked shift, I encourage you to consider the admin cost associated with this decision, not just the cost of the permanent versus the agency staff member. Our agency staff are fully qualified, highly motivated, and ready to work from day one, requiring little to no catch-up time.

While a sensitive topic to broach, we do occasionally experience some of our clients cancelling their agency staff once they have been allocated into a shift. We understand that circumstances can change and a permanent staff member who was not originally available may become available. There is a short term cost for other facilities who were unable to get access to that staff member as they were already booked. There's also a less obvious and longer term cost of losing access to good quality agency staff when you are short staffed. If the good staff get their shifts cancelled too often, this negatively impacts their desire to work in agency roles as they need a reliable source of income.

We help you streamline the process for selecting and on-boarding staff so your staff can spend less time with the most burdensome aspects of hiring - sorting through applications and interviewing potential candidates.

Because our business is built on providing a high quality staff, this ensures that each staff member we provide you with is fully screened, qualified and credentialed before beginning a shift or position. This means that the staff you need arrive at the time you need them, ready to work and fully knowledgeable about the policies and procedures of your specific facility. The result is less time spent on on-the-job training and more productivity per each professional you book through us.

Using Agency Staff Gives You Greater Flexibility

To better manage staff shortages, we recommend partnering with a healthcare staffing agency to help you find qualified nurses and staff in your local area. The clinical job market is competitive, and we can manage flexibility and scalability with access to our network of reliable staff for your facility’s needs.

Working with us gives you the ability to fill a variety of job needs from the convenience of a single partner. Whether you are looking for permanent staff or a temporary replacement, we can provide you with on-call nurses, assistant nurses, disability support staff, cleaners, and laundry staff for on-call availability.

Get Access to 24/7 Support

Our 24/7 support means you can call in help any time you need it. Variations in your staffing needs due to COVID restrictions or other seasonal factors can result in a greater need for a roster of on-call agency staff who are always ready.

We give you that access, along with a larger pool of skilled workers via our recruitment networks — including staff who have already worked with you, and are ready to jump right in.

Our OnCall Team is a 24/7 phone service and can be reached on 1300 132 595
Emails are actioned between 5am-10pm Monday to Friday
From 10pm-5am please call 1300 132 595 for a quick response

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Sarcoma and Bone Cancer Awareness Month

By Kerri-Lynn Mossop • July 1, 2024

‘Raising Awareness to Create Survivors!’ July is Sarcoma and Bone Cancer Awareness Month, it’s time to put on your yellow tee, wear your ribbons and raise awareness to raise much needed funds for research that will empower further research into treatment and assistance for those affected by this rare disease! In November 2007, a group of advocates in Seattle came together to unite all Sarcoma Non-profits – supported by doctors at sarctrials.org , a petition of 100,000 signatures was sent to the White House to declare the 1st of July Sarcoma Awareness Month. Due to its rarity, Sarcoma is a cancer that is often under- researched, and by providing Awareness and Support, you can help raise funds that will help develop medicines and treatments that save multiple children’s lives and the support of Sarcoma Fighters, of all ages, to navigate this difficult disease! What is Sarcoma and Bone Cancer? Sarcoma is a cancer that affects the connective tissues in the body. These are your bones, cartilage, muscles, fatty tissue, fibrous tissue, and blood vessels. Sarcomas are divided into two main categories: Soft Tissue Sarcomas: These occur in the soft tissues of the body such as fat, blood vessels, nerves, and tendons. Soft Tissue Sarcomas are commonly found in the abdomen, legs, and arms. Bone Sarcomas: Bone Sarcomas start in the bone, which affects the functioning of the bones, weakening them and leading to fractures. Sarcoma is cancer that makes up only 1% of all cancers in adults – giving it the title of the ‘Forgotten cancer. Bone Sarcoma can start anywhere in the body, but it usually starts in the pelvis or long bones. Bone Sarcoma accounts for 1/3 of Childhood Cancers and is typically found in childhood and young adulthood. There are 70 Sarcoma Subtypes Abdominal Pain Weight loss Treatment Due to the rarity of Sarcomas, treatment will differ. As this is a primary Childhood Cancer, specialist paediatric teams provide treatment to children and young adults depending on the type of Sarcoma. Adults make up only 1% of the Sarcoma population, so specialist Sarcoma Teams assist adults with varying treatments, due to the number of different sarcomas. Typical Treatments Include Surgery Radiation Therapy Chemotherapy Targeted Therapy Thermal Ablation The 5-year survival rate for Sarcomas is currently around 65%. This lowers once the cancer has spread to 50% and late-stage diagnosis is only 18%. This is why it is vital to get checked out and raise Sarcoma Awareness! GET INVOLVED! Various Events will be held worldwide to raise awareness and funds about Sarcoma and here are a few ways you can get involved! United Kingdom: Cuppa and Cake for Sarcoma (UK) – Its simple, its fun and its delicious! Bake cakes or cupcakes, invite friends and family to enjoy a slice with you, or do a local bake sale. Donations raised from Cuppa and Cake can be made through JustGiving.org, so join in the Big C Cuppa 2024 fundraiser today! United States: The Sarcoma Foundation of America has month long initiatives all over the USA to raise funds – here is how you can join: Wear Yellow Day (12 July) – Get friends, family colleagues and even pets to don those sunny yellow colours! Share photos of your yellow day on social media with the hashtag #WearYellowDay and #SarcomaAwarenessMonth Light Up for Sarcoma (26 July-) Light up your house Yellow! Get the neighbourhood to join in and approach your local municipality for assistance on getting local building or monument lit up! Locations you can visit are: Niagara Falls (New York and Canada) The Rock n Roll Hall of Fame (Cleveland, Ohio) Pennsylvania State Capitol (Harrisburg, PA) Philadelphia Skyline It doesn’t matter where you are in the world – Lets Make July Yellow and spread the word!

How to Prepare for the Future of the Aged Care Workforce

By Default Author • January 7, 2021

What a year it’s been in the Aged Care sector. I’m certainly not the first to say that none of us could have predicted how 2020 has played out. It’s been a year that’s presented many challenges and heartache. I’d like to take this opportunity to share with you some of my reflections as I look back o

Reflecting on a Year Like No Other in Aged Care

By Default Author • December 15, 2020

What a year it’s been in the Aged Care sector. I’m certainly not the first to say that none of us could have predicted how 2020 has played out. It’s been a year that’s presented many challenges and heartache. I’d like to take this opportunity to share with you some of my reflections as I look back on a year that’s been like no other. The key challenges we’ve faced over the past 12 months have been up-skilling new team members and protecting the safety of our team, while successfully allocating nursing staff to 95% of nursing shifts in areas that were impacted by bush fires earlier in the year and then COVID-19. During the period of the fires, our team were asked to head to Bateman’s Bay and Dalmeny to lend their support. At one of the local nursing homes the fire got to the back door of the facility. Another nursing home was evacuated into the one we were assisting. Staff were dealing with lots of issues, including no power, no phones and lots of emotions. Some of our staff were there for up to four days.