Case Studies

Day surgery centre

The challenge: identifying the true needs of an evolving organisation

The Chief Executive of this independent day surgery centre, for whom we had recruited many times in the past, was trying to recruit a suitable Clinical Services Manager. He was not getting the calibre of candidates coming forward that he would ideally like to appoint. After spending two days with the team, we realised this client required something quite different from the role he was advertising. The needs of this developing business were evolving and the right candidate would need to have the clinical and personal skills to take the patient services forward.

Our recommendation

When one is so close to the recruitment challenge it can be hard to see clearly – and that’s where Raine expertise made a difference. Our recommendation? Combine management of the operating theatre department with the rest of patient services. The job then would become more attractive and the right candidate’s focus would be on delivering the service in all areas, meeting the needs of both patients and Consultant/GP users. Together with the client we developed a new job description and personal specification and provided details of the salary and benefits package that would be needed to attract the right candidate. Then our client felt well able to advertise the post himself and manage the selection process in-house.

The result

We didn’t bombard him with CVs as many recruitment agencies would, so it was a cost-effective exercise. And a recruitment problem with a happy solution.

Elizabeth Finn Care Homes Ltd

The challenge: maintaining high quality senior appointments

Elizabeth Finn Homes Limited is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the charity Elizabeth Finn Care. Operating a portfolio of nine high quality care homes throughout England, Elizabeth Finn Homes provides the highest standards of care.

The company requires that any new General Manager it appoints for its homes is both commercially successful and has the absolute interests of the residents at the forefront of everything they do. As well as being a figurehead for Elizabeth Finn, a home General Manager also has to be a qualified and experienced nurse. These are highly coveted positions that are widely sought after.

How we help

For many years, Raine has recruited almost all Elizabeth Finn’s General Managers for its care homes throughout the country. We understand totally the Elizabeth Finn brand and its philosophy, so we instinctively know when a candidate is the perfect fit. As a result, we are able to recommend a shortlist of talented people, all of whom we know would be ideal for the role. In fact, our success rate to date has been 100%.

Home for adults with learning difficulties

The challenge: recruiting a manager with the right profile and values

This private company ran two small homes for adults with learning difficulties and one required a new manager. For residents this was their home for life, and the client needed a manager with exactly the right approach and caring attitude, who could also manage the business. Advertising locally had proved disappointing, as applicants didn’t seem to understand the importance of the role and the changing support needs of the residents.

The process

Unlike the kind of residential homes that attract bad press, these are run with warmth and sincerity. The client has put his heart and soul in the business, really understands his residents and values the staff. It was vital that this caring ethos should continue, and that meant finding a unique candidate. After reviewing the job description and person specification we advertised the post and searched through commercial websites. We reviewed 520 CVs in total and met the best two people. After telephone screening they were invited to informal interviews.

The result

We then convened an expert interview panel and made an appointment. This degree of rigour and expertise guaranteed that we had found the ideal candidate, who couldn’t be more right for the role. The cultural fit is amazing and the new manager absolutely loves her new job. This whole process took just a month, which shows that Raine really are the specialists when it comes to health and social care recruitment.

New private midwifery unit in a London NHS Foundation Trust

The Challenge: to appoint a Midwifery Manager

The Trust needed to appoint a Midwifery Manager (Band 8c) to lead the newly-created team. Some of the team members already worked at the hospital and others would need to be appointed over a period of time, as occupancy and use of the new unit grew.

The Trust was looking for a senior practising midwife with a strong service management track record. He/she would be heavily involved in marketing the unit as it was ‘midwifery-led’ care and so also needed good presentation and relationship-building skills. This was a tall order – especially as the unit was in London. Although many people still regard London as a centre of excellence in healthcare the fact remains that, unless candidates live in commuting distance, it is a city that is prohibitively expensive for many to relocate to.

How we helped

There was a standard 8c midwifery job description in use at the Trust. After extensive consultation, we amended it so the post was seen as much more attractive and different in many respects from similar roles in other Trusts and independent hospitals. We also agreed a person specification with the Trust that clearly stated the ‘must haves’ in terms of the clinical capability, managerial expertise and personal skills of the candidates.

We promoted it in the midwifery and healthcare press and on key websites. We also used our own contacts in the field and on our database.

The result

We interviewed initially and short-listed three people who were formally interviewed by the Trust, of whom one was successfully appointed. As a result of this exercise, there were some additional appointments made, as we also attracted midwifery practitioners at Band 7 level who were very interested in the new unit.