Saving Social Care

Recruiting and retaining a caring workforce to keep pace with the needs of an ageing society is one of the greatest challenges we face. At the same time, traditional methods of finding suitable care staff are delivering diminishing returns.

This fully updated second edition of Saving Social Care provides evidence-based and practical guidance on finding and keeping the compassionate and loyal care workers of tomorrow. The future of every care provider depends on solving this problem fast.

Read this book to:

• Understand exactly who your perfect care worker candidate is
• Tap into secret sources of new staff in your community
• Optimise your recruitment process to reduce wastage
• Spot ‘high potential’ applicants – and avoid troublemakers – much faster
• Discover 20 proven retention techniques to minimise care staff loss

Neil Eastwood is an international speaker on the recruitment and retention of a frontline care workforce. He has spent many years studying the best practices of care recruiters and managers around the world. Previously, he was a member of the senior management team at a 10,000-staff UK care provider. He is the founder and CEO of Care Friends, the employee referral app for the sector. Learn more at www.savingsocialcare.com

‘The recruitment of the right people in the right place, and the retention of them, are fundamental aims of our charity so that we can provide good care, consistently. Neil Eastwood knows how the care sector works at all levels, and applies a practical approach that empowers teams to overcome barriers to recruitment and retention and hire with success and confidence. I’ve worked with Neil in my capacity as care entrepreneur and charity chief executive, where I have witnessed, first-hand, how his ideas, and the practical execution of them, deliver tangible results and maintain a positive culture through change in a wide variety of environments.

The pandemic, demographic change and economic uncertainty have hit the social care sector hard; this second-edition grasps the innovation and resilience developed amid this adversity and translates that into strategies and plans to flourish.’ — Steve Allen, Group Chief Executive, Friends of the Elderly

‘The most important people in any care organisation are the carers. This timely book focuses on what I believe is the single most important issue in the care sector today – how to recruit and retain key employees.’ — Trevor Brocklebank, Co-founder of Rise and Home Instead UK

‘What makes this book so valuable is not only the huge trove of insights and tips, but that they are practical and actionable, not theoretical. It is an invaluable resource for any social care provider and this second edition contains even more advice at a time the sector desperately needs it.’ — Jayne Davey, Chief Operating Officer, Voyage Care

‘Neil’s insight into the conditions that fuel the social care employee crisis – as well as his solutions – are unique. He possesses the rare ability to distil down a huge problem, such as this, and deliver incredibly effective solutions that are not only easy to understand, but also easy to implement in your business. If your business is suffering from the ever-shrinking pool of quality care workers, I highly recommend Neil’s book Saving Social Care. It delivers real world solutions and advice that can mean the difference between surviving and truly succeeding.’ — Leigh Davis, Owner, Davis+Delany, Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA

‘It is great to see this “Bible” on social care staffing being updated as the information in this book just works. We have applied Neil’s approach to our business since the original book was first published several years ago and it has helped us build a national network with a high quality, stable and committed workforce. This book contains everything you need to know. Brimming with straightforward strategies to transform the quality and volume of your care staff. And importantly keep them in the business longer too. Neil really is the subject expert on recruiting and retaining staff in social care.’ — Ken Deary, Owner and Chairman, Right At Home UK

‘This is a timely update to an already indispensable guide to overcoming the very real recruitment challenges in the caring profession. Those who chose to make this their career pre-pandemic faced unimaginable challenges. Those people also showed us the very best of what it means to be a carer, playing a critical role in maintaining the quality of life of some of the most vulnerable people in our communities. Neil shares practical tools and ideas to attract and recruit staff, but Saving Social Care goes beyond that. It is also a handbook to help retain staff, and in doing so, help to truly value the contribution carers make to our society.’ — Beverly Futtit, Chief Executive CAHSC Learning Partnership

‘For years now Neil Eastwood has been the number one leading voice on recruitment in social care. He knows the social care sector and its challenges and has very practical and insightful answers to the problems we face. Our charity supports care workers that still work in the sector and our beneficiaries are desperate for more colleagues to join them and Neil’s brilliant book goes a long way to achieving that. It also helps us raise money towards supporting care workers so a win for social care on all fronts.’ — Karolina Gerlich, Chief Executive Officer, The Care Workers’ Charity

‘I wish Saving Social Care had been written while I was involved in managing care and support services. Recruitment and retention are without doubt two of the biggest challenges faced by the social care sector, and probably always have been. The trouble is the problem is getting much worse. Some parts of the care sector have reached crisis point. It doesn’t have to be like this. Saving Social Care addresses an alternative narrative exploring the satisfaction that comes from making a difference to people’s lives while continuing to learn and develop. The practical focus of this book shows a depth of wisdom gained from hard-earned experience. It is inspirational, and managers who make use of the ideas and guidance will be equipped to transform the services they offer.’ — Des Kelly OBE, Former Executive Director, National Care Forum

‘I am delighted to see Neil’s valuable and practical suggestions updated to recognise the challenges we are facing in Social Care recruitment and retention. After the hard work and determination that our workforce showed throughout Covid-19, it is time to reopen the debate about how to attract and retain the best and Neil’s advice is welcome enthusiasm and positivity for an uncertain future.’ — Jo Land, VODG Trustee, CEO of Avenues Group

‘Neil’s understanding of what makes employees tick in social care is second to none. When I have a problem with recruitment and retention, this is my go-to text. Packed full of practical tips and ideas, I cannot recommend this book highly enough.’ — Sara Livadeas, Owner, Social Care Works Ltd

‘Neil has shared his great pearls of wisdom in this excellent book. Having known Neil from his early days and been fortunate to work with him with our care providers across Surrey over a number of years he has brought a creative, energetic and well researched but very practical and realistic approach to his work. He inspires an “it is possible” approach to this key challenge for all social care providers who face recruitment difficulties, while also highlighting that it’s not just a numbers game; quality and suitability of candidates are also key to a sustainable quality care service. A great read and will inspire many more providers to take a fresh look at recruitment.’ — Erica Lockhart, Chair, South East Social Care Alliance (SESCA)

‘Neil really captures the challenges social care faces in recruiting and retaining the best quality and values-led workforce and goes further to reflect the changed landscape post-pandemic, following the UK’s exit from the EU and in the context of a tightening labour market. Any people manager or specialist will appreciate these brilliant insights and simple but effective solutions which in combination make for a really cohesive approach to recruitment and retention.’ — Caroline Neal, Director of People and Organisational Development, Avenues Group and Co-Chair, Voluntary Organisations Disability Group HR Network

‘The new edition of Saving Social Care has been updated to reflect the changes to the landscape that result from the UK leaving the EU, the pandemic, the introduction of Integrated Care Systems and the cumulative effects of year upon year of below-inflation fee rate uplifts. The wide-ranging ways in which these have impacted the social care workforce mean that knowing about creative ways of approaching candidate attraction, recruitment and retention are more important than ever and Saving Social Care is full of useful hints and tips. This is a must read for any Social Care provider seeking to employ people who have the values and personal characteristics that our sector needs during these challenging times and it’s an uplifting read too.’ — Clive Parry, England Director, Association for Real Change

‘In this new edition of his ground-breaking and indispensable book, Neil has taken his tried and tested blueprint for successful social care recruitment to a whole new level of brilliance. Always ahead of the curve, Neil has adapted this wonderful collection of sensible advice and best practice for the frightening, post-pandemic landscape social care now finds itself in. With care providers now trying to navigate an unprecedented staffing crisis, Saving Social Care has never been a more valuable tool in our arsenal.’ — Mike Padgham, Chair, Independent Care Group

‘I particularly like this book as it is couched in the context of current care settings. It recognises the unique circumstances many employers will find themselves in and does not shy away from recognising the challenges presented by the way in which the outside world views the profession of care. Key factors for me include the recognition and value of an older workforce, the systematic role of new media to attract from within communities, the promotion of the role of data in driving forward retention and recruitment strategies and most importantly the never-ending innovative tips and tricks. I really believe that this book has something for even the most experienced HR leader – as well as being essential reading for those looking to refresh, revise or develop their recruitment and retention strategy. It is needed now more than ever.’ — Professor Vic Rayner OBE, CEO, National Care Forum

‘At a time when recruitment and retention are the biggest challenges facing care providers, Neil Eastwood’s expert insights on how to overcome the challenges, explained in a practical and easy access way, are invaluable. The latest release of his book is a must read for every director, manager and HR professional working in the care sector who wants their business to thrive.’ — James Sage, Employment Partner, and Head of Health & Social Care, RWK Goodman LLP

‘Social care is a fundamental part of all our communities, it supports people to live their lives every day and most people who work in social care find it incredibly rewarding. Recruitment and retention remains a complex challenge though, which will be impacting on the lives of people who need social care. This new edition from Neil will get you thinking about what more you could do to attract and keep people with the right values to work in our sector.’ — Oonagh Smyth, CEO, Skills for Care