Social care start-up Cera Care has announced plans to create 5,000 new care jobs nationwide as part of a £10 million investment. The start-up will invest in new technologies including predictive analytics as well as premium pay rates, in order to attract more people to the care profession. 
 
With plans to expand to 14 cities in the UK by 2023, Cera Care will run a novel recruitment campaign across Facebook Messenger, Instagram Stories and Snapchat, which would allow prospective employees to quiz real-life carers on all aspects of the job and apply directly from the app. The move to use social media to recruit the next generation of carers comes as research shows that 73% of millennials use media apps to find work. This has been matched by a 21% increase in visitors aged 18-34, to Cera Care’s website.
 
Dr. Ben Maruthappu (pictured), co-founder and CEO of Cera Care, said "Our ambition is to revolutionise the care sector, for both people receiving and providing care. It’s time to innovate and invest in the future workforce of the care sector. We want to show how thoroughly rewarding a carer's role can be in the digital age, and what better way of doing that than connecting them with real-life carers to talk about their experiences."
 
This announcement comes as the Minister of State for Social Care, Caroline Dinenage MP, visited Cera Care to gather insights from the front-line on day-to-day experiences of technology-enabled carers.  

She said: “Cutting edge technologies offer exciting new opportunities in adult social care, from improving people’s experiences of care to helping with recruitment. Care work is a hugely worthwhile vocation and with a growing need for more care workers, Cera Care’s plans to grow their business and recruit more people will help meet the needs of some of society’s most vulnerable.”
 
The company claims it pays its carers 50% above the industry average thanks to the technology that underpins its online platform. Through this technology, Cera Care is able to streamline its operations and automate admin tasks, leading to lower office staff overheads and more investment in front-line care staff. The company says carers can expect to earn as much as 20% more than those working in front-line retail jobs too; according to PayScale the average salary of a supermarket cashier is £7.50 per hour and for a Barista it is £6.85/hr. In comparison, Cera pays up to £11.50 per hour. 
 
The company is also investing in predictive analytics software to support the carer decision-making process and is partnering for the first time with tech-enabled wearable companies to improve the quality of care provided to the elderly. The software collects data from care reports, smart-home devices, and wearables to predict early onset of illness or health deterioration. This will enable families and carers to respond faster, ultimately reducing avoidable hospital admissions.
 
Igal Aciman, Chief Commercial Officer of Cera Care said: “We are keen to change perceptions of what it is to be a carer, especially among people entering the workforce, who are currently more likely to opt for a career in retail or hospitality instead. Achieving this change, will take a novel and collaborative approach to recruitment, social media and training.”
 

Source: Care Appointments