How do I check how a home care agency recruits and keeps backup caregivers for holiday shifts?

Holiday coverage tests a home care agency, so start with a real example. Ask how the last holiday period was staffed, which shifts were hard to fill and what the agency did. Ask to see the schedule with names removed, and whether any client went without a visit or had to be moved.

Then look at the backup pool. Who is on it, how were they found, and how recently have they worked? A list of names is not the same as a group of people who answer the phone. Ask how the agency contacts them, who does the calling and how quickly people reply.

Next, ask what keeps backup caregivers around. Are they offered steady shifts, fair notice, and a thank you? Do they get any support in the office? Ask about training and how new people are introduced to clients. If one coordinator holds the phone numbers and the relationships, plan for what happens if that person leaves. Your accountant can look at holiday pay in the books. Ask what the agency would change if it could, since coordinators usually know exactly which part of holiday coverage is fragile and what they have been unable to fix.

Key takeaways

• Review how last holiday was staffed and what was hard to fill.
• Check that the backup list holds people who actually respond.
• Learn who holds the relationships with backup caregivers.