“Sona has given us the confidence to grow. We can now say 'We'll take all three acquisitions'.”
The Challenge
Yorkshire Care Group was growing rapidly, with 60% growth in 18 months, but churn sat at 32%. 22% of shifts were unfilled and had to be covered by overtime or agency, and payroll reconciliation was eating up managers' time. They needed systems that could scale with their 300% growth target.
“Our staffing levels have improved because our retention is better ... We’re giving the staff the flexibility they want to do the shifts they want but also fulfils our criteria as a care provider. ”
The Solution
Yorkshire Care Group implemented Sona to automate scheduling, enable self-service for carers, and streamline payroll reconciliation and invoicing. Staff were surveyed at every level before roll-out, champions were trained first to spread enthusiasm, and the whole organisation was up and running within six months.
| Before Sona | After Sona |
|---|---|
| Manual scheduling processes across care homes | Digital scheduling with real-time visibility across all homes |
| Rising agency dependency with limited cost control | Reduced agency use through staff self-serve shift booking |
| Disjointed communication between managers and staff | Single platform for scheduling, T&A, and team communication |
The platform replaced manual scheduling processes with real-time digital visibility, giving managers the tools to fill shifts faster, reduce churn, and reconcile payroll without the admin burden, all while supporting 60% growth in operational capabilities over 18 months.
“Effectively our no-call rate has reduced to zero, which means that the profitability of the business has increased to 100% of the expected revenue.”
The Results
Within six months of going live, Yorkshire Care Group achieved:
- Staff churn reduced from 32% to 18%
- Unfilled shifts reduced from 22% to under 5%
- Agency usage kept under 5%
- Operational confidence to take on three acquisitions simultaneously
“Labour costs are 85% of all Social Care businesses therefore you have to manage 85% of costs well. Sona provides us with a mechanism to do that.”
