Blogs about how busy a care manager’s job is very common. Whenever I speak to Care Managers, I hear the same story, “Life is as busy as usual”. It has become a normal perception for Managers to assume that it is a lot of responsibility being a care Manager. According to Skills for Care, the annual turnover rate among the registered managers is 22%, i.e. around 4900 Managers changing the job every year in social care. In other words, approximately five thousand services are at risk of delivering poor quality care each year due to the change in manager. I am not disregarding the fact that some managers are leaving for the right reasons to progress in their life which is appreciatable. But the story of ‘burnout Manager’ never ends.
Being busy – A Badge of honour
Often Managers tell me that they are swamped, and they wear this as a badge of honour. We feel busy when we have no control over what we are doing. Stop wearing this ‘badge of honour’ and ask yourself, “Why I am feeling so busy?”. Multitasking will wear you out soon and makes you feel like you are taking on too much. This type of self-reflection is critical to understand if you are overwhelmed with tasks on your hand; if it is too much, it is time to seek help.
Create boundaries
When I audit some care homes, I have seen there is no clarity on who is to do what. Everything ends up on the poor manager. Tasks from weekly ordering in the kitchen to checking invoices have been paid or not. The care manager is supposed to monitor the delivery of high-quality care on a day to day basis. If you get that right, your care home will be performing exceptionally well. Managers should analyse what is on their plate and should learn to say ‘no’ to focus more on monitoring the care rather than on non-clinical activities.
Being on-call
I have seen several managers who are afraid to take the family out during the weekend because they are on-call at work. Awaiting to get that ‘scary’ call informing you someone has called in sick and you will have to cover the shift by ringing around. It just spoils your weekend. Stop doing that straight away. See if you can share the responsibility with someone so that you can enjoy at least some weekend. It is also vital to get reasonably paid when you are being disturbed. A care manager needs time to switch off and take proper rest to regain energy during the weekend.
Get a grip of the regulations
This game is very much legal my friend. You can get prosecuted if you run a care home badly, even though it is not your fault. Pause for a week and learn the CQC regulations 4 till 22A to get the basics right. Ignorance of the rules will not be considered as an excuse at the court of justice. Your role is to monitor and deliver high-quality care and inform whoever when it is not possible to find a solution.
It is high time for Managers to realise you are not superheroes. You are just humans. You need adequate rest and nourishment to perform better. Short-lived multitasking and working 24*7 is going to burn you out at some point. It is time to take a pause and reflect if you are prioritising your wellbeing. When you see me next time, don’t tell me you are busy because I consider a statement like this as your weakness. Look after yourself then you can look after others well. Have a great new year!
If you still haven’t listened, check out this podcast where myself and several amazing people have shared their experience in delivering better care.
Best wishes.
Issac Theophilos
Picture courtesy: Outstanding team at Westgate Healthcare.
