Report on Managing Human Resources in Health and Social Care Practices

This report delves into the critical aspects of human resource management within the health and social care (HSC) sector, focusing on recruitment processes, team building strategies, employee development, and leadership approaches. The report begins by examining factors influencing recruitment planning, including financial implications, organizational objectives, and the importance of defining candidate profiles. It then explores the influence of relevant legislation and policy frameworks, such as the Equality Act 2010, on the selection, recruitment, and employment of individuals. Different approaches to selecting the best candidates, including interviews and assessment centers, are evaluated. The report also addresses strategies for building effective teams, explaining theories of group interaction, such as Tuckman’s model of team development. Furthermore, it discusses systems for monitoring and promoting the development of individuals working in HSC, assessing training needs and analyzing strategies for continuous development. Finally, the report examines various leadership theories applicable to the HSC workplace and provides insights into managing working relationships. The report draws upon the context of St. Patrick’s Nursing Home to provide practical examples and recommendations.

Managing Human Resources in Health Social Care
Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................................1
TASK 1 - Understand processes for recruiting individuals to work in HSC...................................................2
Explain the factors to be considered when planning the recruitment of individuals to work in HSC......2
Explain how relevant legislation and policy frameworks influence the selection, recruitment and
employment of individuals......................................................................................................................4
Evaluate different approaches that may be used to ensure the selection of the best individuals for
work in HSC.............................................................................................................................................5
TASK 2 - Understand strategies for building effective teams for working in HSC........................................7
Explain theories of how individuals interact in groups in relation to the types of teams that work in
HSC..........................................................................................................................................................7
Evaluate approaches that may be used to develop effective team working in HSC................................9
TASK 3 Understand systems for monitoring and promoting the development of individuals working in
HSC............................................................................................................................................................11
Explain ways in which the performance of individuals working in HSC can be monitored....................11
Assess how individual training and development needs can be identified............................................12
Analyse different strategies for promoting the continuing development of individuals in the HSC
workplace..............................................................................................................................................13
TASK 4 Understand approaches for managing people working in HSC......................................................15
Explain theories of leadership that apply to the HSC workplace...........................................................15
Analyse how working relationships may be managed...........................................................................16
Evaluate how own development has been influenced by management approaches encountered in
own experience.....................................................................................................................................17
CONCLUSION.............................................................................................................................................19
REFERENCE:...............................................................................................................................................21
INTRODUCTION
One of the unique sectors of the market where there is no room for any form of carelessness or
error is the health and social care sector. The reason that there is no room for error is because this

Managing Human Resources in Health Social Care
sector is associated with lives of many people. Hence, it can be noted that people who work in
this sector need to work with full commitment and put in their entire effort such that there is no
chance of error or carelessness such that no individual’s health or life is at risk. Hospitals and
health and safety organizations should take measures to ensure the safety of health and life of
individuals, by carefully recruiting people who have the required expertise to put all their hard
work in these organizations and are also enthusiastic to work with full commitment. The current
report discusses the system of monitoring, encouraging and promoting the development of
individuals and also comprehends approaches to be followed for people management who work
in these industries (Armstrong and Taylor, 2009). The process of recruitment, legislation
framework related to health and social care, different approaches used for selecting a suitable
candidate and ways to manage people in health and social care (HSC) is understood from the
context of St Patrick’s Nursing home.
TASK 1 - Understand processes for recruiting individuals to work in HSC
Explain the factors to be considered when planning the recruitment of
individuals to work in HSC
Major factors according to Jackson, Clare and Mannix (2002) to be considered for recruiting
individuals to work in HSC are
 Objective and aim for recruitment overall: It is essential to determine what
organization wants to achieve through the specific recruitments. For example, the
organization might be planning to replace existing workers or recruitment due to new
job role creations (Chen et al, 2004).

Managing Human Resources in Health Social Care
 Financial implications and recruitment cost: The recruitment department has to
reflect on both internal and external costs; and promotional ad charges among other
financial implications required for the process of recruiting.
 The other factors to be considered include organizations core objectives, personnel
policies of organizations, policies of government, legislations governing the selected
post and planning a comprehensive recruitment policy, among others.
The important factor to be considered for St. Patrick’s Nursing Home is defining the
recruiting candidate profile and job requirements by eliminating the failure of the
Nursing Home. Before planning for recruitment, the organization needs to consider the
factors such as availability of workers both internally and externally, in case such
workers are not available then the organization may plan to train the available workers or
offer good salary hike and incentives to relocate for encouraging other areas skilled
workers (Dussault and Franceschini, 2006). After all such research the Nursing Home
then can plan the number of individuals to be recruited and how to attract them for roles
that are available (O’Brien et al, 2009). Promotion regarding the job can be made through
advertisement which can be noted as one of the effective tool for this process. Thus, by
advertising of the job in the areas with adequate skilled workers it can attract suitable
candidates. In absence of skilled workers the Nursing Home may advertise through job
fairs, webpage hoarding, internet, or recruitment/consultant agencies to recruit suitable
skilled workers (Compton et al, 2009).

Managing Human Resources in Health Social Care
Explain how relevant legislation and policy frameworks influence the
selection, recruitment and employment of individuals.
The selection, recruitment and appointment of suitable individual in HSC is influenced by set
of specific legislative and policy frameworks in every nation. Hence, it is essential that
Nursing Home do follow such rules and regulations. In the UK equal rights and opportunities
to every individual irrespective of their gender, race, community and language by the
governing law. The legislatives and policy frameworks that control the selection and
recruitment are Sex Discrimination Act 1975, The Race Relation Act 1976, the Employment
Act 2008, Employment Policy & Legislation Employment Relations Act 2004, the
Employment Rights Act 1996, the Equality Act 2010 and the Race Relations (Amendment)
Act 2000 (Bewley, 2006).
The government has been reinforcing these Acts according to its changing recruitment and
employment policies such as making the labour market more efficient, fair and flexible
(DWP, 2013); improving the older people opportunities (DWP, 2014); and helping the
employers in making safer recruitment decisions (Home Office, 2013).
In addition to above mentioned government policies, the Nursing Home has its own policies
to control and monitor recruitment. The policies mainly contain elements of anti-
discrimination and help avoiding favouritism or biasness in the selection and recruitment
process. For example, the HSC organizations are advised to complement the legislative
framework that the Government has developed for selection and recruitment of social care
staff under the code of practise designed by the General Social Care Council (2010).
According to the norms provided in the framework of this policy, employers should ensure
that candidates with suitable expertise enter the workforce and the organization is also
warned not to exploit in that area (GSCC, 2010). Additionally, the organization should

Managing Human Resources in Health Social Care
follow fair and same recruitment process to all the applicants. Different types of
discriminations that usually happen in organization are direct and indirect discriminations.
The organizations are also advised to be very careful before advertising their recruitment
requirements in an advertisement. It has to be verified meticulously.
Every organization formed in the UK has to compulsorily abide by the above mentioned acts.
Not abiding by these Acts might affect the functionalities of the organization. The
organization would have to face major cost and penalties. Recruitment, selection and
employment process of every organization in the UK is influenced by the policies of the UK
policy makers.
Evaluate different approaches that may be used to ensure the selection of the
best individuals for work in HSC
To select and recruit best individuals HSC has two main approaches. The approaches are
candidate evaluation through testing in assessment centre and conduct interviews. St.
Patrick’s Nursing Home is also advised to follow these approaches while recruiting best
candidates. Additional approaches to be followed include proper assessment and examination
of the candidate under different circumstances (Dussault, 2003).
Below is the detailed analysis of the approaches to be followed for recruiting the best
candidates:
Interviews:
The first and foremost step for selecting the best candidate is through the process of
interviews. The process of interviews may be done by individuals, interview panels and
selection committee that conduct interviews. In the course of interview process the employer
taking the interview has the authority to talk and access about the impressions of candidate
and also can amend superficial judgments. Overlapping also can be avoided when the

Managing Human Resources in Health Social Care
selection committee makes the selection which is organized by the authorised body in a most
formal way. Benefit of interview includes interviewers’ advantage to look at the candidate
and gauge the candidate on the spot along with their drawbacks. Interview will also help in
analysing the knowledge of the candidate and how beneficial they can be to the organization.
In HSC sector communication plays a vital role and the candidates who are recruited should
be good at communication. Interview will help the interviewers to access if the candidate has
good and effective communication skills while communicating with individuals who
approach them with their health issue. Through this process the confidence and willingness
of the candidate to work for the job can also be assessed. In a HSC sector willingness to
work is very essential and absence of it may impact the health and life of individuals (Eaton,
2000).
Testing in Assessment Centre:
Testing the ability of the candidate in assessment centre is another important approach in
selecting and recruiting suitable candidate for the job. Trainings such as one to one role play
and group exercise are used to grab and assume the core theme of the job. Performance of the
candidate in these tests will help in assessing the attitude of the candidate towards the job.
Additionally, through group exercise it is essential to test whether the candidate is group
player, willing to work with the team and give total effort towards their job. The candidate’s
performance in testing assessment centre are assessed through: IQ test, hypothetical
questioning test, structured psychometric assessment, capability questioning and several
other test pertinent to the requirements of the job.

Managing Human Resources in Health Social Care
TASK 2 - Understand strategies for building effective teams for working
in HSC
Explain theories of how individuals interact in groups in relation to the types
of teams that work in HSC
As stated by Armstrong (2006) interaction/communication system by forming implies high
reliance on the leadership of the organization to take guidance. Employees in this process retain
themselves courteous, well organized and careful. They tend to first learn regarding the
challenges and opportunities and later agree on a certain matter through discussions and then
initiate handing of the given task effectively. It is very essential for all the members of the group
to communicate, know each other and share thoughts, information and ideas for maintaining
interaction among the group members and co-workers.
The process regarding formation of the groups and individual interaction in the group can be
clearly comprehended through the theory of Tuckman’s model. The theory of Tuckman’s model
has the following stages:
Forming: In the words of Tuckman, team members tend to act as strangers, communicate
formally and establish certain ground rules when they meet for the first time. Individuals in this
stage are reserved and are polite with each other, they try to observe the people around them.
Storming: This is the stage where the foundation of communication begins but still the tendency
to resolve the issues individually rather as a team prevails. There is competency for deliberation
under this step. In this stage every individual/candidate try to mark their presence and it is the
same in HSC sector as well. Hence, it can be noted that individuals in this stage are not ready to
accept leader controls and may even oppose (Atwal & Caldwell, 2005).

Managing Human Resources in Health Social Care
Norming: This is the .stage where individuals start to interact freely with the other team members
and try to appreciate the perspective of every individual on diverse topics. This is the stage
where the process where individuals start to agree with the fellow member opinion (Borrils et al,
2000).
Performing: Once the individuals start interacting with each other freely they start to trust each
other in an open atmosphere that is developed in the team members. Hence, they start to work in
coordination with each other in achieving aspired goals through leadership oriented relationship.
This is the stage where people start to perform as a team as they are well aware of the strengths
and weaknesses of each member of the team. It is an essential step to make individuals of
Nursing Home to reach this stage such that they remain motivated and perform well with
complete dedication and work as a team, which is very essential for this sector. Internal
disturbances are a hurdle in this sector.
Adjourning: This is the assessment stage where the performance and contribution of each
individual is assessed and transition of roles is also made if required (Tuchman,1996).
Even though, a single theory cannot be the base for explaining the complex process of team work
the theory of Tuckman does help in gaining interim knowledge about team work. The below
diagram will help in understanding the different stages in form of a curve.

Managing Human Resources in Health Social Care
Additionally, it is essential to adopt the following approaches to develop effective teamwork:
improving inter team understanding through the means of effective communication, a honest
approach, having a trustful and open environment and developing, organizing leadership sessions
as leadership is the most important element in teamwork (Baker, et al.2006) and giving the
individuals the freedom to apply and use their diverse skills (Chand and Katou, 2007) among
others.
Evaluate approaches that may be used to develop effective team working in
HSC
Working with collaboration in a team is not confined to a single approach, because every team or
group is unique and should locate a collaborative approach of its own based on the requirements
of the organization. From Nursing Home perspective as a HSC organization an effective team
work may be measured by following major approaches discussed below:
 The members of the team or group must compensate for the weak points of others by
employing their strengths in attaining the aspired goals because there exists diversity in
skills and personalities in a team and this is one of the initial factor in team working
effectiveness.

Managing Human Resources in Health Social Care
 To make sure that each member of team is entirely explicit and have comprehended the
core objectives of the team and also that these objectives are agreed by every member of
the team.
 Make sure that there exists complete transparency and understanding among the team
members with regards to their roles and responsibilities.
 Developing trust with every team member by spending personal time in an open and
honest environment.
 Make sure that manager keeps all the routes of communication open to encourage for
exchange of information through channels such as face-to-face interactions, e-mails,
letters or phone conversations, however, every employee should have complete
knowledge of their role in providing information (Leonard et al, 2004).
 Ensuring that all the feedbacks provided are constructive and not over critical; negative
feedbacks should be avoided as they impact the morale of the team. Also the leader
should take measures to maintain harmony in the team by ensuring that all the ream
members get the chance to provide their suggestions (Borrils et al, 2000).
 Encouraging an environment for improving listening skills through team meetings and
ensure that no problem is ignored and every issue is followed and a solution is attained
(Borrils et al, 2000).
 Providing the team members with social time with one another in an environment that is
persuading and open to communication in addition to the regular working hours.
 Being cautious about the issues related to interactive, relational and social issues. It is
advisable to recognize them early and handle them.
 Engaging group members in the activity of HSC and observe them.

Managing Human Resources in Health Social Care
In addition, the other important approaches include brainstorming and team building exercises.
Effective teamwork is very essential in the Nursing Home because it has been observed that the
staff members have been often blamed for not communicating properly with to one other
important information while in the shift and having no enthusiasm in working in the job. Sadly,
the attitude to just come do their shift and go home was existing in the team. Hence, effective
team work must be implemented to overcome these failures in the functioning of the nursing
home. Building a team is an ongoing cyclical process and requires lot of effort, skills and
knowledge, thus, for effective team performance the leadership should take all the required
measures (Armstrong, 2009).
TASK 3 Understand systems for monitoring and promoting the
development of individuals working in HSC
Explain ways in which the performance of individuals working in HSC can be
monitored
Individual performance monitoring is important in every form of organization. Not only
monitoring but also evaluating and recognizing the performance of the employees through
awards and incentives is also important. Performance monitoring of an individual in an HSC is
done through managing team rate and individual performances in meeting aspired goals, and
improved targets. Performance management is defined as an approach for managing people to
increase their probability of accomplishing success through the shared understanding process
established on how to achieve what needs to be achieved (Chand and Katou, 2007).
Individual’s performance in the HSC is monitored both as an individual performer and as a
member of a team. Individual performance in HSC sector can be measured through various
means. Some of these approaches include performance level addressing of the individual

Managing Human Resources in Health Social Care
currently, finding domains to ascertain the areas of improvement of the individual that is
inevitable, evaluating specific standards of the individual especially required for HSC
organizations by testing their expertise skills, marking/rating individual’s performance level and
finally fixing the targets of accomplishment, among other. The method for measuring the
performance of an individual is called as performance evaluation or appraisal.
The three important methods followed in the process of performance monitoring of individuals
in HSC sector are recent performance level identification, identification of areas of improvement,
and setting standards of scaling such as average, above average, good and excellent performance
(Anon, 2009).
For an improved performance monitoring the Nursing Home is advised to establish a software
system in the organization that captures the individual’s day to day performance. End of every
month this software will provide information on the tasks performed by the individuals which
will help the managers to monitor the performance of the individuals and evaluate them.
Managers while monitoring and evaluating the performance of the individuals should be careful
not to give over criticism but a constructive criticism that help the employees in improving their
performance for the next coming years.
Assess how individual training and development needs can be identified
Every organization needs to access the training and developmental needs of its employees.
Continuous training and developmental needs is much required to meet the changing technology,
customer needs and competition. With the changing in technology and the needs of Nursing
Home it is essential to keep the employees updated such that they can meet the market needs.
This will help them in enhancing their services to customers.