‘Listening, not just recruiting, is the key to care done right’

COMMENT

By Deborah Stock, founder and managing director of Care Connection Partners

In healthcare, recruitment agencies are often seen as a necessary evil. Care homes need them, but few relish the idea of picking up the phone to one.

Too often, agencies are viewed as transactional – sending a worker to fill a shift and moving on. That may plug a gap, but it rarely builds the trust that high-quality care depends on.

As the founder of a healthcare recruitment agency, I understand this hesitation. But I believe it doesn’t have to be this way. Agencies can and should be more than middlemen.

We need to listen to our clients, understand their challenges and work in genuine partnership with them. It’s about moving away from “slots filled” towards shared responsibility for getting care right.

At Care Connection Partners, we call this our #feelthelove ethos. More than a slogan, it’s a way of working built on respect, inclusion and transparency.

Everyone we engage with – carers, partners, or residents – should feel valued. When people feel the love in what we do, they are more engaged and more committed to providing excellent care.

Listening is central to that ethos. To strengthen understanding, we introduced drop-in surgeries at our Hull head office – informal sessions where staff and partners can speak openly, share concerns and suggest improvements.

The first, for staff, was a revelation. Around 100 carers came through the doors. They met colleagues, spoke directly with managers about what’s working and what isn’t, and offered candid feedback in a relaxed environment. There was food, laughter, even families joining in – but most importantly, there was honesty. People left knowing their voices genuinely mattered.

This feedback is shaping how we train, how we support teams and how we respond to the needs of the homes we work with. It reinforced a truth often overlooked in recruitment – this isn’t about transactions, it’s about relationships. And relationships thrive when people feel listened to, respected and included. That is what #feelthelove looks like in practice.

For care providers, that relationship must also be one of confidence. They need to know that when an agency carer arrives, they are trained, competent and ready to fit in. But they also need to know the agency itself is listening to their longer-term pressures – skills shortages, retention, or regulation.

Changing perceptions won’t happen overnight, but it is possible. If agencies are approachable, transparent and genuinely invested in outcomes, care homes will start to see us as allies rather than an inconvenience. It’s about building confidence that we are here to support, not just invoice.

The challenges in health and social care are significant – staff shortages, financial pressures, rising demand. No single organisation can tackle them alone. But by listening, collaborating and focusing on care as a shared responsibility, recruitment agencies can be part of the solution.

Because at the end of the day, this isn’t just about filling shifts. It’s about people – those who give care, those who receive it, and those who rely on us to get it right.

That’s why listening matters, and that’s why #feelthelove matters too.