Onboarding checklist for new care home staff

The way your employees start their careers with you is not just a formality but a crucial step that will shape their entire employment. For organisations aiming to retain their staff and deliver exceptional care, onboarding is a pivotal aspect that must be executed correctly from the very beginning.

Onboarding is not just a process; it's the foundation of your team. Just like a strong foundation is essential for a building, a solid onboarding process provides the best base for your employees to work from, ensuring their success and your organisation's growth.

But what exactly is onboarding, and what does it involve? In its simplest form, onboarding is the process of integrating new employees into a company. The exact process and what it entails can vary from organisation to organisation and depend on the type of work you do.

In the care sector, onboarding is a comprehensive process that covers a range of aspects and formalities. It's not just about meeting the standards set out by The Care Quality Commission (CQC) but about ensuring that every new member of your team is equipped with everything they need to know about your company and how you operate.

Why is onboarding important?

You might be asking yourself why it's important to create an onboarding process after you have completed the hiring process, and people can learn as they work.

While experience is the best way for people to learn, effective onboarding gives them the tools and support they need to be able to fit seamlessly into your workplace without issues. It also enables you to ensure they're working to the standards you need and expect and are detailed in the Care Certificate Standards.

Plus, having everyone on the same page means you can be confident that people are given the best start right from the beginning.

Onboarding, in a nutshell, offers employees the ability to learn many things, including:

• Company values and culture
• Their exact job role and duties required
• Any regulations and procedures they need to comply with
• The chain of command within the company
• Training knowledge and necessary information to do their job roles

How to onboard care home staff

Onboarding processes can look very different from company to company, and it's important you find a strategy that works for you and your new employees, as well as service users in your care home.

In the first instance, you need to plan your onboarding before the starting day so you have all the paperwork, training, policies and regulation information needed to start them off on the right foot. This must be ready as soon as they arrive for their first day or their onboarding sessions before starting their employment.

Remember, you need to make them feel welcome and comfortable as well, and everyone needs to be approachable and friendly so no one feels too intimidated to ask for help or clarity for things they don't understand.

Creating an onboarding checklist for new care home staff

An effective onboarding checklist needs to have their name, starting date, and job title. It should also include the staff member or member of management who completed the onboarding or is overlooking the employee and the date it was completed. An example checklist will look like this:

Day one

• Who welcomed the new employee?
• New employees are shown where they will be working during a tour of the care home
• Introductions to their managers, colleagues and buddies if being assigned someone to help them get to grips with their job role
• Tour of other facilities, main offices or other locations they might be required to frequent
• Information, including P45, National Insurance Number, Right to Work documentation, Photographic ID, and security checks, must be collected
• Health and safety documentation and training, if required
• Training manuals or company policy booklets distributed if applicable
• Access to any apps or software they need to use
• Clocking in details set up

First week 

Company introduction

• A detailed run-through of who is working within the company, the chain of command, reporting policies
• A detailed history of the company and any future plans or progressions they can expect during their employment

Employee's job role

• Detail the exact role and responsibilities expected of the employee, why they need to carry them out, and their importance to what you do
• Discuss appropriate attire, footwear and presentation when working
• Discuss attitudes and expectations regarding how people conduct themselves in relation to service users and colleagues
• Outline performance and how it will be assessed
• Start training, if required
• Discuss future opportunities and career growth

Overview of service user needs

• A detailed overview of each service user, including their personal history, preferences, routines, and key contacts.
• A breakdown of individual care plans, covering medical conditions, mobility needs, medication, and daily support requirements.
• Guidance on communication methods, including how to support non-verbal service users and manage distress or challenging behaviour.
• An overview of safeguarding policies, including recognising abuse, maintaining dignity, and ensuring confidentiality.
• Information on supporting health and wellbeing, covering nutrition, emotional support, and promoting independence.
• A summary of key policies and procedures, including health and safety, emergency protocols, and documentation requirements.

Terms and conditions of employment

• Ensure all company terms and conditions have been read and fully understood
• Discuss probationary periods
• Confirm hours of work holidays, sick pay, and associated benefits or pay structures, i.e. overtime or unsociable working hours
• The rules surrounding sick leave, reporting absences, disciplinary actions, bullying, harassment, gross negligence, etc., are provided as well as where this information can be found independently
• Company policy on phone usage during work, social media policies, using the internet to check emails, etc.
• Period of notice required
• Maternity, paternity and parental leave provisions
• Ensure all documentation is completed for their personal file
• Health and Safety training
• Confidentiality clauses

First month

• More detailed Health and Safety training as the employee progresses
• The company's commitment to being an equal opportunities employer
• Share details of unions or employee representatives
• Hold informal meetings to discuss performance and give feedback from both sides
• Offer guidance and support to answer questions or resolve issues the new employee might have

How to improve the onboarding process

In the care sector, you need to be thorough about how you welcome new staff members to ensure that you comply with all your legal obligations as an employee and regulations set out for your industry.

For staff in a care home setting, having access to detailed information and being able to log information required in a centralised location can enable you to ensure everyone is on the same page and all information is shared and easily accessed by the entire team.

For new starters and your management team, using an app that has a handy to-do list feature can be beneficial in ensuring nothing is overlooked, that all the I's are dotted, and that all the T's are crossed.

Improved onboarding 

For new starters, this wealth of information can be overwhelming. Ensuring everything is available in bite-size information and in an accessible manner is vital for improved onboarding and for delivering support for new team members and those tasked with supporting new starters. 

Centralised location

A centralised location, such as the Log my Care App for care homes, allows you to offer everyone a simple way to input and access important information and keep track of everything.

Efficient delegating

The app provides you with an efficient way to add and delegate tasks that need completing, and you can assign them as you need to for each staff member for easier reporting and tracking. This will ensure nothing is missed and everyone is aware of their individual responsibilities.

For new hires, this level of detail and easy-to-follow structure can help them get the job done without having to constantly ask for what they need to do or understand their duties. 

Clear audit trails

A deluge of information can be overwhelming, especially for new starters, and things can easily be overlooked or missed. The app ensures you can create a clear and concise audit trail without relying on people remembering or creating paper trails to keep on top of things. It's all inputted into the app, and people can view it when they need to. 

Ongoing support 

New employees will initially need more intensive levels of support than their peers. Utilising an app with one central location means you can offer additional support and assistance even if you are not physically there to do so.

Having the information a person needs to be delivered to them digitally to refer to when they need it can instill confidence and offer ongoing support in a more discreet but still beneficial manner.

Book a demo today

Our software is built to be an asset, not a drain on your resources, and our expert team is on hand to help you learn more about its capabilities and how it can be utilised for your expected needs.

You can sign up today to take a look around yourself and get the feel of what we do and how we can help you onboard new employees more efficiently, or you can get in touch with us to book a demo and walk through our services step by step.