This episode of the Care Home PR And Marketing podcast features Neil Russell, chairman of specialist neurological care provider PJ Care which employs more than 600 staff.
Neil reveals how they use innovative PR and marketing campaigns to help become “inundated” with new care and nurse staff applicants.
The episode includes:
- Why Neil decided PJ Care’s PR and marketing focus should be on on recruitment and making PJ Care attractive to new care and nursing staff
- Why this “red hot” strategy was more successful than a “scattergun” PR approach
- Why having a defined #1 target for PR is vital – and all efforts should be made to achieve that #1 target.
- How PJ Care massively increased using Facebook as a tool for recruitment – helping it secure up to 6 new staff “hits” per day via the platform alone
- Details on how PJ Care promotes itself as as an attractive employer and place to work
- What messages PJ Care communicates to help attract new staff, particularly nurses whose skills will be upgraded once working for PJ Care
- The approach that PJ Care employs to help retain staff, included during mandatory Covid vaccinations.
- How PJ Care ensures its accolades and awards are communicated to new target recruits – and the importance of conveying the message that care is a fulfilling and rewarding career and offers benefits over working in retail or hospitality
- Why Neil considers his care staff working “on the floor” to be his most valued staff.
- How to lead a successful care operator
- How Neil personally endeavours to meet much of his staff, who between them speak 44 languages and share a heritage with 50 nationalities
- Why PJ Care’s slow and steady growth with a focus on quality above quantity has been deliberate.
- Neil’s view on building a leadership team, including how it’s important to learn from when you get it wrong, and the value of allowing people to make mistakes to foster learning and development.
- Why Neil’s single most important piece of advice is to “Listen to everyone and then make your judgement. And encourage people to challenge you”