Parklands launches cash bonus to recruit more in-house nurses
12 May 2023
Parklands Care Homes has launched a fresh drive to recruit more nurses with a cash bonus for new nursing staff.
Parklands, which owns and operates nine homes in Highland and Moray and manages a further two in Keith and Cullen, is aiming to boost its team of in-house nurses with a welcome bonus for new nurses worth up to £2,000.
The bonus comes on top of a recent pay rise for all Parklands employees, with nurses now being offered £20 an hour for day shifts and £21 for night shifts. Full time nurses working a typical 37.5 hour week can expect to earn around £39,000, with higher rates for nurses working night shifts.
By boosting salaries for in-house nurses, Parklands aims to eliminate the use of expensive agencies.
Elsewhere in the group, carers are now being offered a minimum of £12 an hour, 10% higher than the Scottish Government’s social care rate of £10.90, and care shift leaders can expect to earn between £14.50 and £15 an hour.
Launching the £2,000 incentive on Nurses Day (12 May), Parklands managing director Ron Taylor said: “The UK social care sector has a severe shortage of nurses, in particular, and this means the sector is heavily reliant on expensive agencies. However, agency staff often come to us for short periods, lacking in-depth knowledge about our residents and their medical history.
“At Parklands, our goal is to make sure we have a dependable and consistent team of nurses. By increasing salaries and offering incentives for new nurses, we aim to recruit highly motivated, experienced nurses who can deliver consistent, high quality care to our residents. It’s a win for our nurses and a win for our residents.”
He added: “The past few months have been tough for everyone, with every day costs becoming unmanageable for many. We’ve seen our own costs soar and the entire sector is going through the most difficult time I can ever recall. Nevertheless, it’s right that we reward our hard-working staff and we’ve worked hard to ensure we can offer everyone in the Parklands team more this year.”
Parklands has also partnered with the financial well-being platform Wagestream, which gives employees more power over their pay, allowing them to access up to 40% of their accrued wages at any time of the month in the event of unplanned expenses. The company also offers full training and support and flexible family friendly working hours.
Jo Douglass, Parklands nursing manager for Moray said: “Working in a care home offers so many rewards, both emotionally and financially. I would urge anyone looking to find a rewarding career in nursing which offers a work life balance and a supportive work environment to consider joining us.”
Shiona Martin, a nurse at Lynemore in Grantown said: “It's the best job I've had. I've been a community nurse, I've worked on wards, I’ve done a variety of different roles. No two days are the same. It's fun, it can be stressful - some jobs are - but the skills that you'll learn are skills that you can take with you.”
Parklands is currently recruiting nurses across Moray and the Highlands.
For more information, visit parklandsgroup.com/careers
Watch Grantown based Shiona Martin discuss her nursing career in the care sector.
