Healthcare recruitment needs shakeup, says Match Options franchisee

An experienced Match Options franchisee has been sharing her take on how healthcare recruitment can be shaken up for the better.

Healthcare recruiters need to change the way they approach their work if the industry’s problems are to improve, according to experienced Match Options franchisee, Grace Gatheru. She is urging her fellow healthcare recruiters to take the time to genuinely care about their clients’ needs to make sure they find workers that fit the skillset of each role.

Grace, who operates in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, is a recruitment expert. She’s been a Match Options franchisee since 2016 and racked up more than seven years of experience prior to joining the franchise. She explained how a lack of care from many other healthcare recruitment companies is contributing to the recruitment problems.

"It seems like an obvious thing to say, but the most important rule in recruitment is caring about placing people in the right jobs. Nurses, particularly those in senior roles, are overworked and underpaid, so we are losing many from the profession. I respect my nurses so, for example, I would never ask one of my accident and emergency nurses to do a general shift, as they are overqualified for this.”

She continued:

“There are far too many examples out there of [recruiters] just chasing the money, and filling placements with the first person that comes along. This is why the recruitment sector gets a bad name. The key is to get to know your clients, both your candidates and companies and ensure their long-term needs are met. Trust is key to building up a buoyant customer base."

Grace explained why she was drawn to Match Options when she began exploring franchising as her next career move.

“From my previous dealings within the recruitment sector, I knew that healthcare represented a fantastic opportunity to hit the ground running and grow quickly. Add to this the established relationships Match Options has with the NHS and with organisations such as BUPA and Virgin Care, who have us placed on their preferred supplier list, I knew there was real scope to build up a successful business relatively quickly."

The home care and healthcare recruitment franchise is seeking new franchisees across the UK to help it grow its operations even further.