National Care Group recently welcomed 15 new colleagues to the team at Norfolk-based support service 8 Acres - helping meet skills requirements through an international recruitment pipeline.
The wealth of new talent at the 8 Acres site in Attleborough were welcomed via a Health and Care Visa Sponsorship. The news comes at the same time as the UK government announced a £15m fund to support international recruitment in adult social care over the next two years.
The development of the international fund aims to fill the 165,000 vacancies reported in the sector in 2021/2022. Currently, around one in six professionals in the UK adult social care industry have a non-British nationality, making up 17 percent of the sector workforce.
Among the new colleagues are Bessy, Maya, Jaise, and Swapna, whom all joined the service as support workers. Settling into their new roles, the team has already completed a wealth of training, including epilepsy awareness, buccal administration, and emergency first aid with trainer Kirsty Stickley.
Swapna brings with her more than 15 years of experience in nursing and elderly care having worked in Australia, Malaysia, and her hometown of Kerala in India. She said: “For me picking the right organisation is key to having a happy and healthy working environment. Having researched companies in the UK, I found National Care Group was operating nationwide but had the feel and care of a close-knit team.
“Since joining 8 Acres I know I’ve made the right decision. Our team strives hard to offer the very best support to people with learning disabilities, autism, and complex needs here in Norfolk. The team has been nothing but supportive and I’m proud to be playing my part as someone that can bring my own skills and apply it to a strong culture that dedicates itself to continuous learning.”
8 Acres support 18 adults with learning disabilities in a specialist residential setting. Last summer the service underwent a half-a-million-pound transformation, delivering improvements in both the housing facilities and grounds, including new kitchens and bathrooms in most of the flats, along with a renovated driveway and fencing.
The new colleagues help to bolster the services provided at the site, led by 23-year care sector veteran and registered manager, Tara Currie.
Tara said: “We’ve worked hard at 8 Acres to empower both the people we support and colleagues in their surroundings. It’s why, along with the on-site training we’ve delivered, our new recruits have received additional support settling into the local area, with our learning and development team helping answer questions on nearby facilities including shops, leisure, and transport routes.
“Welcoming such dedicated professionals to the service helps to ensure the consistent delivery of quality care and work towards empowering the people we support to unlock their full potential.”
James Allen, CEO of National Care Group said: “Our recruitment team’s efforts to implement our strategy of introducing colleagues from overseas has enabled the organisation to access a huge pool of talented candidates who have quickly become invaluable members of the National Care Group team. Our people strategy will continue to focus on attracting and retaining the best people to support the occupancy growth of our organisation and maintain the delivery of quality care and support.”
For more information on the services that 8 Acres provides, click here.