With Stonehaven having worked with Stephens Scown for several years, Covid and its impact on the care sector saw the relationship between the two businesses develop and grow. Thanks to the efforts of Stonehaven’s management team and Stephens Scown’s Immigration team, the care group has flourished and continues to be a leader in its field, with a bright future assured.
Care Home Challenges
With 10 care homes, and a mixture of renovated buildings and purpose-built facilities, Stonehaven has a substantial presence in the South West. A family-run business, the residential and specialist nursing homes provide a broad range of services for its residents, with awards to back up its glowing reputation.
For Managing Director Nick Connors, a near two-decade stint in corporate finance prior to joining Stonehaven came without a honeymoon period. It was a mere 62 days in situ when the Covid pandemic struck and upended the sector.
His remit to oversee and pull together the various aspects of the company, ensure its effective operation to provide the best level of care and strategic growth of the company, Covid meant a shift in focus.
As the country and businesses went into lockdown, the care sector remained open. Of course, the key target was to ensure the health and wellbeing of the residents and on trying to recruit to cope with the demands of that period.
When the hospitality and leisure sector restrictions began to ease, recruitment in those areas accelerated, with high wages tempting workers away from other industries. The care sector was one of those areas affected by a loss of staff. Agencies began to take advantage of the need for staff, some charging double for workers – many of whom were existing care home employees who could make more money by signing up with the agencies and working on an almost consultant basis.
Given the difficulties faced, Stonehaven looked at the international sector for staff and in 2021, applied for a sponsor licence to enable overseas recruitment.
Following approval of the licence, it was during the summer of 2021 that Stonehaven was able to recruit. By the end of autumn, the group had a little over 70 staff in place to support their work. As part of that recruitment drive, the company spent £1.3m on accommodation, buying seven properties across the region. The homes allowed overseas workers to have a base for 3-6 months, enabling them to obtain evidence of paid bills and addresses which could then be used to get references and documentation for more permanent housing of their own.
Regulatory Support
It was during one of Stephens Scown’s Healthcare sector dinners that Nick and fellow director Nathan, met Lisa Mulholland, Partner and head of the firm’s specialist Immigration team, and part of the Healthcare subsector team. Lisa was asked if she would come in to do an audit of Stonehaven’s paperwork. The idea was for it to be a sense check, something of crucial importance before any material is sent to the Home Office, as once documentation is supplied, there’s no chance of it being recalled.
Lisa visited Stonehaven’s head office in Ashburton to look at the documentation, with a worst-case scenario being that any errors could be punished by a loss of licence to operate. Working with Lisa was Nikki Cooper, the HR & Service development manager.
An integral part of the service development department, Nikki’s team is responsible for ensuring that the care home managers and staff have all the necessary resources, whether that’s training, regulatory information, or human resources, in place to provide the very best possible care to each resident.
Nikki had started her role in 2022 and was introduced to Lisa during her first few days in position, working with Lisa for the three and a half days of the audit. It reaffirmed that Nikki’s work was compliant, giving confidence that there were no red flags. The information was accurate, in order, and ensured the Stonehaven team was ready for anything.
Future Plans
The last 12-18 months has seen a sea change in the mentality of how the sector operates and the approach to licence holders. More support has been made available by both the NHS and local authorities. There have been changes in how licences are renewed due to the actions of rogue operators, and with the previous government keen to reduce immigration numbers, there were more requests for information and documentation than in the three years prior.
Coupled with the cost of living crisis and inflation, recruitment remains challenging across the sector. An increase in the number of people unemployed for health reasons has also increased. With the nature of care home work, and a need to be physically capable of undertaking quite strenuous work, Stonehaven’s ability to employ from overseas has been critical to maintain the high standard of care for its residents.
Stephens Scown Support
Thanks to Lisa’s efforts, Stonehaven has applied for and received certificates for people to work in the UK and are at a stage where they’re confident in using the system. Recruitment companies help to source candidates and arrange interviews, while Stonehaven make sure all necessary documentation is compliant, as overseas applications can trigger a Home Office visit.
Stonehaven is now on a retainer with Stephens Scown, with Lisa’s expertise utilised for any situational issues that arise. The nature of the care home sector means that information can change quickly, so there are fortnightly calls between parties to catch up and regular reviews are undertaken.
Abigail Grace, another member of the Immigration team is also on hand to support Stonehaven, while Giles Dunning and Helen Wallwork, Partners in the Corporate team, alongside Simon Gawler, Partner in the Real Estate team, have supported Stonehaven with property purchases.
Speaking about the work with Lisa, Nick said that she was, “Incredibly approachable and understanding. She will explain everything at the right level and ensure that it’s relatable. She’s prompt and friendly and asks if she or Stephens Scown can help with anything.”
For Nikki, “Lisa was brilliant. She gave great advice, and I enjoyed the time spent with her initially doing the audit of paperwork. She was amazing and I learned a lot.”
The Stonehaven team has planning permission for a new build care home in Exeter and will continue to grow. There are also additional sponsorship licences in the planning stages, though the pace of international recruitment has lessened as more people are coming into the sector from the UK.
With Stonehaven’s immediate future secured and having emerged from the pandemic in a stronger position, it’s clearly an organisation whose prospects remain bright.
