A Guide to Resource Management in Adult Care

Resource management starts with knowing what you have versus knowing what you need. When it comes to successfully managing care facility resources, there are a few things to take into consideration before laying out your plans. It can seem like a very daunting task due to how it can not only impact your care working staff, but it can also impact an individual’s care too.

Here are things to consider for resource management in health and social care:

• Understanding where the funding comes from such as direct payments, brokerage and commissioning and in some cases charity funding
• Understanding compliance, quality, legislation and regulations – whereby understanding what is a must and what is a nice to have
• Understanding the support needs and dependency of service users and the staff required to meet needs, and thus planning staffing levels, with the fluctuating needs of service users in mind
• Having a good understanding of budgeting, getting the best for your money and accessing additional support for service users that comes without a cost (for example, the NHS)

Prioritising skills are essential in resource management. Understanding what is important today and what can be achieved later is crucial. Planning everything from food to staffing, having an ability to forecast and plan are all much much-needed skills. Record keeping should be paramount in management, with digital records being used if possible.

It is important to build up good community awareness and presence, as this will give you, as the manager, additional support when needed – including volunteer groups, schools for activities, garden centres for plants etc.

Training staff and keeping them aware of your plans will help, they will feel valued and contribute to management of budgets and quality. They will also recommend those around them that they feel would be helpful or an asset for opportunities, if they feel valued.  Demonstrating budgets and explaining plans to staff is more effective than telling them to turn a light off.

Taking time to make your most important resource feel valued is the single most important part of resource planning.

Remember all of the above is plan A. You should have a plan B for when life gets in the way, such as global pandemics. It is important to have a development or business plan which highlights your expansion plans, for the future.

Managing resources for a care facility is a huge responsibility, but you can run things successfully with a coherent plan and workplace knowledge. At Access Skills, we offer this workplace knowledge and skills within our funded Level 5 diploma in health and social care.

For more information and tips on resource management, contact us today!