Charity minibus service helps to solve care staff challenges

Prior's Court transport to work service is helping to alleviate care staffing challenges and tackle the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.

The Hermitage charity providing education and residential care for young people with complex autism aged 5-25, introduced a minibus transport service to and from its site for new staff earlier this year.

The service, initially only open to non-drivers, means staff can access the site more easily, which has no nearby public transport routes. Drop-off and pick-up is available from Newbury, Thatcham, Theale, Reading and Swindon.

More than 60 people are now using the new service. Staff members are deducted a cost from their monthly salary, which is less than the fuel and maintenance costs involved with owning a vehicle.

Autism practitioner Mollie Swatton, from Swindon, said: "As a non-driver, without the transport service I simply wouldn't have been able to work at Prior's Court. I love working with the young people here and seeing the progress they make and the contribution you make to that.

"The bus becomes its own group therapy session too as you chat about how your day has gone, what went well and what didn't and how you could approach working with the young people differently."

Fellow autism practitioner Tia-Nicole Heath, also from Swindon, added: "A job at Prior's Court wouldn’t be available to me if it wasn't for the transport service. It feels like a comedy act on the bus – we have so much fun. It feels like we're friends rather than work colleagues."

Head of HR Kate Lefever explained the reasoning behind the new system. "The staffing challenges within the care industry across the country are well-known," she said. "Prior's Court has the added barrier of being based in a rural area without public transport links.

"We had to be innovative in introducing this minibus service, which is ticking so many boxes. It provides a wider pool of potential staff members for Prior's Court.

"Its popularity can be seen by the fact that three-quarters of our most recent induction of staff members are minibus transport service users.

“In the context of a cost-of-living crisis and the forecast recession, Prior's Court transport to work option helps our workforce maintain its personal finances."