Case studies:

The client 

Bupa Aged Care is one of Australia’s largest private residential aged care providers with over 50 care homes throughout the country.

As a team of dedicated healthcare professionals, the Bupa team are trusted to provide care and support to more than 5,000 residents, including residential, dementia care, palliative and respite short-stay care settings.

Bupa Aged Care in Croydon has used Sidekicker for their casual nurse staffing for over 12 months, successfully filling shifts for roles such as Personal Care Assistants, Registered Nurses, and Assistants in Nursing. 

Speaking to Karim Ainaoui, the Roster Coordinator at Bupa Aged Care Croydon, he explained they’ve found Sidekicker to be an invaluable resource and tool for increasing visibility over their hired staff and giving them more control over their workforce.

The challenges

Ensuring quality of care

When using traditional nurse staffing agencies, Bupa's key challenge was the lack of control when hiring, and ultimately who provided care for their residents. 

In an aged care setting, where quality of care, empathy and professionalism are paramount, the ability to handpick the right staff to care for your residents is crucial. However, relying on agencies to make these decisions meant Bupa couldn’t guarantee that the staff provided would align with the unique needs for their residents. The lack of visibility, involvement and control in the hiring process, often made it difficult to ensure the highest standards of care.

“We didn’t have the option to choose our staff, and had to trust the agencies with our hiring decisions. With other agencies we often just get the name of the worker and that is it.”

The solution

Handpicked staff

Bupa recognised that having more control over their hiring process was essential for maintaining the high standards of care and continuity that their residents deserve. 

Traditional staffing agencies left them with limited influence over the selection of their nurse staff, which led Bupa to seek out a more tailored agency solution. 

“We found out about the web portal Sidekicker offers which allows us to select the workers we need, and check their previous reviews before making a decision. Not many agencies offer this kind of solution.”

Bupa can also ensure the nurse staff hired fill their quality requirements before making a hiring decision.

“The transparent star and reliability rating system gives us a quick snapshot of who we are hiring and their past performance with other providers. Additionally, the ability to provide ratings and feedback for workers on each shift means that we can ensure quality is maintained.”

On-demand staffing tool

In the fast-paced environment of aged care, the ability to fill staffing gaps quickly is crucial. Sidekciker’s platform allows Bupa to request staff 24/7 on their desktop or mobile, providing the flexibility to respond to unexpected absences or surges in demand at any time. 

This responsiveness has helped Bupa maintain seamless operations, ensuring that their residents are always properly cared for. 

“We can find someone really quickly almost every time. We get applicants really quickly. And we like being able to select the staff ourselves, and rate them after their shifts.”

Optimised staffing processes

The range of features available on the Sidekicker platform has significantly improved Bupa’s staffing processes, making it easier for their team to manage casual staff efficiently. 

One of the key advantages has been the ability to create request templates for frequently posted roles, allowing Bupa to streamline requests with a few clicks. Additionally, the daily list for staff shift schedules helps them monitor staff schedules, ensuring all shifts are covered smoothly. 

Moreover, saving preferred nurse staff into talent pools means Bupa can quickly re-hire their trusted workers who have already proven to be a great fit. This continuity further enhances the quality of care their residents receive, and reduces new hire training costs. 

“Job templates are good, and the platform is convenient and easy to use. Instead of making multiple phone calls and emails, we can request workers, review applicants and hire all in one place”

The results

Over the past 12 months, the Bupa team in Croydon has successfully filled more than 130 shifts with Sidekicker. 

Consistently impressed by the quality and reliability of the nurse staff they’ve hired, the platform has not only provided them with skilled workers but also given Bupa the peace of mind knowing that their Sidekicks are dependable and capable of providing high-quality care. 

The results are a testament to the platform’s effectiveness:

• A near perfect 4.99 / 5 average Sidekick rating, reflecting the exceptional performance of the staff.
• 88% average shift fulfilment rate, ensuring continuity of care even during high-demand periods or with last-minute requests. 
• Zero no-shows to shifts, highlighting the reliability and commitment of the Sidekicks.