The other keyworkers in care homes: Implications of including cleaning, catering, and housekeeping staff in social care workforce strategies and practices relating to COVID-19 recovery
ENRICHEnabling Research in Care Homes
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The other keyworkers in care homes: Implications of including cleaning, catering, and housekeeping staff in social care workforce strategies and practices relating to COVID-19 recovery
Olivia Luijnenburg is a Research Associate at the Health and Social Care Workforce Research Unit (HSCWRU) at King’s College London. She is a medical anthropologist and has a special interest in residential care for older people, spirituality and health, qualitative health research, and ethics in care. She is close to finishing her PhD research at the University of Surrey on the ethical implications of spirituality in residential care for older people.
In this guest blog, Olivia Luijnenburg discusses a research project looking at the experiences and views of cleaning, catering, and housekeeping staff in care homes during the COVID-19 pandemic. She is recruiting cleaning, catering, and housekeeping staff working in care homes for video or telephone interviews. Participants will receive a £20 voucher as a thank you. She would also like to talk to care home managers and staff in charge of human resources in care homes. If you are interested or want to learn more, contact Olivia at olivia.luijnenburg@kcl.ac.uk
The contributions of ancillary staff during the pandemic
The contributions of cleaning, catering, and housekeeping staff (ancillary staff) in care homes have been invaluable during the COVID-19 pandemic. They have provided hours of behind-the-scenes additional cleaning, deep cleaning, and infection control, as well as keeping care homes running with laundry, meal preparation and serving. They often go beyond their housekeeping tasks and play an important role in the broader care home culture, supporting care home staff and residents.
Lack of recognition and policies
Sadly, their contributions have largely been overlooked and their behind-the-scenes work remains mostly hidden. Furthermore, this workforce comprises of many women with families, work part-time and on shifts, and are often from migrant or minority ethnic backgrounds. The main anecdotes and media reports depicts the ancillary workforce as: low paid, but facing high risks; comprising many shielded workers, unsure about coming to work; once at work, uncertain about their safety; and worried about residents and their own families contracting Covid-19. The picture presented by these sources, however, lacks clarity; with ancillary workers presented as both much loved by residents, as well as possible sources of contagion or transmission of the virus between homes and other locations. These competing views encourage the creation of a stronger evidence base, which is essential to develop policy in workforce strategies across the social care sector.
Bridging the information gap
This study wants to shine a light on the contributions of ancillary staff as well as address the information gap relating to social care workforce strategies and practices for the ancillary workforce in care homes. Drawing on the experiences and views of ancillary staff, care home managers, and human resources (HR) managers in care homes, we aim to co-produce a model of policy guidance. This model could be taken-up across the care home sector, helping ancillary staff to be recruited, retained, motivated, and supported in responding to current and future challenges deriving from COVID-19.
Can you help?
We are currently recruiting participants for video or telephone interviews. Are you or do you know:
- Cleaning, catering, or housekeeping staff in care homes that have worked during the COVID-19 pandemic?
- Care home managers that have worked during the COVID-19 pandemic?
- Staff that are in charge of Human Recourses in care homes?
We would love to hear from you. Participants will receive a £20 voucher as a thank you. We would also like to talk to care home managers and staff in charge of human resourses in care homes. You can contact Olivia Luijnenburg to express interest or for more information at: olivia.luijnenburg@kcl.ac.uk.
The study is funded by the National Institute for Health Care Research (NIHR) and has received a favourable ethical opinion from King’s College London Ethics Committee (Reference: HR/DP-20/21-21727).