How Caremark Arun recruits care assistants who don’t drive

Caremark, 2022–2025. Recruitment in domiciliary care had a built-in ceiling: roles were advertised to people with a driving licence and access to a vehicle. That is a smaller pool than it looks, and it excludes a large number of people who are willing and able to do the work but do not drive — often because the cost of running a car is the barrier, not the licence.

What changed

Caremark advertised specifically for eBike Care Assistants rather than for drivers. The role, not the transport, became the requirement.

What it did

• Broadened the talent pool. Candidates without a licence or a vehicle could apply for the first time, which is the barrier that had been quietly filtering them out.
• Punctuality and reliability. In urban rounds an eBike is an efficient way to get between calls.
• Sustainability. Lower carbon emissions, and lower operating costs than a vehicle to fuel and maintain.
• Carbon reporting. Local authorities have begun asking social care providers to benchmark the carbon emissions of their mobile workers.

Results

At Caremark Arun the response to the eBike Care Assistant advertisement far exceeded that of previous campaigns aimed at drivers, and brought in a broader range of applicants. It resulted in hires. The outcome prompted Caremark Arun to invest in an initial fleet of eBikes, with plans to expand it.

“We specifically advertised on Indeed for an eBike Care Assistant for a couple of our offices and it’s been really successful. We have had a huge number of interviews as well as interest in general for the eBikes and it has resulted in us recruiting.”

— Steve, Recruitment Lead

“It is going to be a really positive thing for us… it opens up new opportunities and targets a completely different audience. We are always trying to be more green. The bikes are really efficient at getting people from A to B so we expect they really will boost our sustainability.”

— Lauren, Recruitment Executive/Trainer

“It is a really sturdy little bike. It works very well.”

— Dayne, Care Assistant