Scheduling Optimisation in Home and Community Care
A vital strategy for balancing quality care and commercials
The home and community care sector in Australia plays a vital role in supporting individuals to remain independent and live fulfilling lives in their homes.
However, the sector faces an array of challenges, including the need to adapt to increased wages, workforce shortages and financial sustainability challenges for providers.
In this complex environment, scheduling optimisation emerges as a crucial strategy to ensure the sector’s continued success and the delivery of high-quality care.
Rising wages and workforce shortages
One of the most pressing issues confronting the home and community care sector is the demand for a well-compensated and motivated workforce.
In recent years, there has been a growing recognition of the invaluable work carried out by support workers, leading to calls for improved wages and conditions.
With increased wages comes added pressure on providers to manage their budgets effectively. This is particularly challenging given the shortage of qualified staff, which often necessitates the use of agency workers at a premium cost.
Scheduling optimisation offers a solution by helping providers make the most of their existing workforce while minimising the need for costly agency staff.
Financial sustainability challenges for providers
The financial sustainability of home and community care providers is another area of concern. As funding models evolve, providers are required to balance their budgets while continuing to offer a high standard of care.
Achieving this balance is no small feat, and scheduling optimisation can significantly contribute to the financial health of providers.
By optimising schedules, providers can reduce inefficiencies, ensure that staff are allocated to tasks that match their skills, and minimise travel time between client visits.
This not only improves the quality of care delivered but also reduces operational costs.
In an era of increasing financial scrutiny, every dollar saved through scheduling optimisation can be reinvested in improving the quality of care or ensuring the long-term viability of the organisation.
The role of scheduling optimisation
Scheduling optimisation in home and community care is about more than just saving money; it’s about ensuring that clients receive the best possible care when they need it.
Effective scheduling allows providers to match the right support worker with the right client, ensuring continuity of care and building trustful relationships.
Additionally, scheduling optimisation can improve the job satisfaction of support workers. By minimising travel time and ensuring that schedules are manageable and align with the worker’s preferred hours of work, providers can reduce the risk of staff burnout and turnover, thus creating a more stable and experienced workforce.
So what outcomes should you expect from a scheduling optimisation initiative?
A good scheduling optimisation suite equips schedulers with the tools they need to achieve the following objectives:
- Meet minimum engagement rules. Identify and rectify instances where minimum engagements are not met, effectively reducing make-up pays associated with non-compliance.
- Eliminate broken shifts. Detect broken shifts for part-time and casual staff, enabling schedulers to make adjustments that mitigate non-compliant allowances.
- Ensure timely meal breaks. Position mandatory meal breaks within the roster to prevent overtime expenses resulting from missed breaks.
- Balance work allocation. Identify staff who are under-scheduled or over their minimum contracted hours, facilitating efficient workload reallocation.
- Manage overtime. Detect schedules that will lead to overtime, both on a daily and fortnightly basis, allowing for proactive cost management.
- Address client cancellations. Analyse and quantify the cost of client cancellations to optimise staff bookings and minimise financial impact.
- Improve billable utilisation. Distinguish billable and non-billable tasks, identify trends and improve overall billable utilisation for financial gains.
- Ensure data accuracy. Uncover gaps and inconsistencies in staff information, job titles, certifications and award details to maintain data integrity.
- Optimise broker bookings. Analyse third-party supplier bookings to reallocate tasks to internal staff, streamline invoicing and budget effectively.
It’s time to thrive
The challenges facing the home and community care sector in Australia are significant, but they also present an opportunity for innovation and improvement, with scheduling optimisation standing out as a vital strategy.
By investing in scheduling optimisation tools and strategies, home and community care providers can strike the delicate balance between financial responsibility and quality care provision.
This not only benefits the bottom line but also ensures that vulnerable individuals in the community continue to receive the support they need to live fulfilling lives in their own homes.
In the face of these challenges, scheduling optimisation is not just an option; it is a necessity for the home and community care sector to thrive and continue providing vital services to those who rely on them.
The Pontem team is experienced in designing and delivering effective scheduling optimisation initiatives, and we’d be only too happy to provide support to providers interested in finding out more.
Jane McDonald, Founder and CEO, and Tony Clifford, Chief Operations Officer, Pontem Pty Ltd
