Our dedicated colleagues are there for the people we support at all times of the day and night. They play an invaluable part in supporting people to live full and independent lives. This comes with significant responsibilities and, as a role, it encompasses personal care, emotional support and financial management, as well as working with the NHS and other agencies to maintain physical and mental health.
Despite being the lifeblood of the sector, the adult social care workforce has been afflicted by a series of diverse and deepening challenges over the past few years.
During the intense years of the Covid-19 pandemic, our care and support colleagues were there on the front lines, supporting individuals throughout very uncertain times, often dealing with incredibly difficult situations. Alongside this, many of them were keeping themselves isolated from vulnerable family members, away from their vital social support, before the true impacts of the virus were known, or a vaccine had been developed.
These lasting effects alongside the ongoing staffing crisis in social care and rising cost of living pressures, mean our colleagues remain under real strain. And yet, they continue to commit tirelessly to give quality, person-centred care and support.
It is essential to us that we improve conditions for our brilliant colleagues. We want to ensure the people we support are receiving the best care possible and know that ensuring happy and healthy staff is a vital component of this. We have made some important decisions to prioritise the needs of our frontline staff:
- We have made recommendations to Government around benefits, terms and conditions, and international recruitment (see our 2022 Sector Pulse Check report)
- We have made an investment in increasing pay for our frontline staff
- We will make improvements to our staff facilities across our properties – and you can help!
What is a Sleep-in Room?
Each Hft service has a sleep-in room for staff to utilise as either a bedroom when working a night shift or to have breaks during the day. Sleep-in rooms are essential for staff to take breaks away from their work environment and to ensure that there is always a staff presence in the building, on hand when someone needs help.
The need for staff to have a protected space away from the challenges of their role is imperative for our support workers who provide a caring and expert service for people with complex needs and behaviours that are challenging.
We are so proud of the level of support Hft provides for people with learning disabilities. This is one of the key elements that makes our services unique; we do not just focus on providing individual’s basic needs, but supporting them to achieve their personal goals, aspirations and dreams. In order to maintain this level of care we have to prioritise the wellbeing of our staff who work tirelessly every day to help deliver these outcomes for the people we support.
We have committed to refurbishing sleep-in rooms across Hft. The new spaces will provide a relaxing and private sanctuary kitted out with home comforts, such as a dining table, better equipment for cooking meals, a television, and other homely furniture. The updated rooms will provide somewhere to decompress and relax during breaks, and a safe, protected space during overnight sleep-in shifts, so they can be refreshed and ready to start a new day offering the quality care and support they want to give.
The cost of refurbishment is different for every room, ranging from £300 to £7,000. Whether you would like to cover the cost of your local room, or make a contribution to the sleep-in room refurbishment costs, your donation will make a big difference.
Make a DonationWith your help we will support the mental and physical health of our frontline staff as they provide the very best care to thousands of adults with a learning disability.
Donate here or to find out about your local sleep-in room and how you can help, contact our fundraising team at: hello@hft.org.uk or on 0117 906 1700