Can AI stop carers quitting? New technology can predict when staff in social care are about to leave
- Private healthcare company Cera says AI could stop 50,000 staff leaving a year
- Vacancies in adult social care increased by 52 per cent in one year to 165,000
Artificial intelligence is to be used to check if carers are likely to quit their jobs.
Any issues employees have had with pay, punctuality, or problems with their manager will be among the data fed into the algorithm.
The technology is meant to combat the staffing crisis in social care by giving bosses an early chance to persuade workers to stay.
Private healthcare company Cera claims its AI could prevent around 50,000 staff leaving every year.
The firm said it has been shown to detect carers who are at risk of quitting three times more accurately than human managers can.
AI technology is meant to combat the staffing crisis in social care by giving bosses an early chance to persuade workers to stay (file image)
Vacancies in adult social care increased by 52 per cent in one year to 165,000, according to figures from last October.
Cera is launching the technology this month in some areas of England – including London, Essex, and the North East – and Scotland.
A recent report found care workers described their job as rewarding, with strong feelings of satisfaction in improving patients’ lives.
Cera said its AI aimed to ‘identify when such factors may be absent, so they can be addressed’.
Chief executive Dr Ben Maruthappu MBE, said: ‘Retaining those currently in the sector is often overlooked, as priorities remain to attract new staff.
Artificial intelligence is to be used to check if carers are likely to quit their jobs (file image)
‘Using artificial intelligence and machine learning to help predict staff turnover will allow healthcare teams to spend more time doing what they do best – care – resulting in a better experience for patients.’
In October 2022, Skills for Care revealed the number of posts in the adult social care had risen by 0.3 per cent to 1.79 million.
However, It found that fewer posts had been filled – dropping by 50,000 – and more existing posts were vacant – rising by 55,000.
Its report suggested the problem was due to difficulties in staff retention and recruitment, with employers struggling to find and keep people.
The problem is set to get worse with half a million extra workers predicted to be needed in social care by the early 2030s.
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