Covid-19: Flexible workers key to NHS

Flexible workers are going to be vital in helping to keep the NHS moving during the Coronavirus pandemic, and Redwigwam is cancelling its fees during the crisis.

The Liverpool-based company has said that the NHS and other healthcare organisations can use the company’s online platform to find workers to carry out short-term and ad hoc jobs and only have to pay the workers for the jobs they hire them for. It currently has over 110,000 flexible workers on its database.

Flexible working is becoming increasingly popular among Britons with recent figures from the Office for National Statistics highlighting that 4.9 million people are taking charge of their destiny by becoming flexible workers.

Lorna Davidson, Redwigwam’s founder, said: “Coronavirus is already having a massive impact on staffing within the NHS and other healthcare organisations across the UK and the Government has made clear that the situation will get worse over the coming weeks. We have an army of flexible workers across the country who are able to help meet short-term requirements where staff have been affected by Coronavirus. Within the NHS, we are already seeing demand for cleaners and a range of support staff to cope with the extra demands on the service and sickness.

“Our workers include school leavers, university students, mums and dads at home and older people who are keen to continue working after they have retired from their full-time jobs. Between them, they possess the full range of skills that can be utilised by organisations with a short-term requirement.

“Any business that has business continuity or productivity issues caused by the Coronavirus outbreak can tap into our network of 110,000 workers – and for the foreseeable future we are waiving the fees we would normally charge hiring companies. It means we make no revenue, but it enables us to meet our responsibility to keep our family of wigwammers working. The government made the support of the health service and businesses the major priority in last week’s Budget and it is vital that we all work together to help each other get through these challenging times.”