L&G funds health, wellbeing support for UK care workers
Care Sourcer , the UK’s first comparison and matching site for elderly care, has announced it is launching a free Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to all UK care provider employees. The free program, provided through Health Assured and initially funded by Legal & General, is available to employees of both care homes and care-at-home providers.
Care Sourcer’s EAP will provide a complete support network that offers expert advice and compassionate guidance 24/7, covering a wide range of issues including mental or physical stress, bereavement of residents they have formed close bonds with, money worries, and general low morale. Stress, depression, anxiety and sickness are highly prevalent amongst care workers and can force them to take extended time off work. In many cases, it leads to high turnover of staff. The company estimates that around 800,000 care workers, many of whom face daily challenges such as stress and depression, will benefit from their EAP.
Established in 2015, Care Sourcer is free for people seeking care and searches thousands of registered care providers across the UK to bring a tailored list of local care providers to users within 48 hours. The company has raised $14.5 million since its inception from several investors including Legal & General Capital. Legal & General will fund the EAP for the first 12 months of its operation.
“Care workers are local heroes; they dedicate their lives to caring for others but often there is no one to care for them in their time of need. Stress and depression, a lack of confidence and anxiety are all big challenges facing people in the care workforce. At Care Sourcer, our goal is to use technology to help create a fairer care system that is easier for those seeking support to find the care their loved ones need, but we also want to get behind the UK’s care workers. Many often go above and beyond to help the people they are looking after and we’re proud to offer our support by providing this free EAP that can help those working in the care sector in their own time of need. Improving the retention of staff is central to creating a better care system. Our EAP will support providers to better the work-life balance of their caring staff, supporting them in their time of need, and ultimately help care homes and at home care companies to build sustainable, quality-driven businesses.” – Care Sourcer CEO Andrew Parfery.
