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Curiosity can change a hiring team, a budget, and the quality of care. Richard Young, head of recruitment and onboarding at Active Care Group, joins us to unpack how a 25-year journey from agency mailbags to AI-driven screening produced sharper hiring, stronger retention, and better outcomes for complex care services across the UK.

We dig into the real problems behind volume: support worker roles that draw torrents of applications, a UK job market where it’s easy to apply to dozens of posts in minutes, and the urgent need to safeguard every hire. Richard explains how well-crafted screening questions, right-to-work checks, and role-specific assessments filter noise without losing the human touch. The result is time back for recruiters to do what only people can do—share culture, read motivation, and build trust with candidates who will deliver care with empathy and skill.

Data reshaped the sourcing strategy. By mapping which boards delivered qualified candidates, Richard’s team reallocated budget for a higher return, cutting cost per qualified candidate from around £4.90 to about £0.94. That efficiency coincided with tangible outcomes: vacancy reduction, improved retention versus sector norms, and more services rated good or above by the CQC. As the organisation pivots into private neuro rehabilitation with assistive technology, the focus shifts again to a quality-first sift where automation accelerates checks and humans make the critical calls.

Richard shares the mindset behind the moves—Kaizen thinking, lessons from Amazon’s bar-raising approach, and a coach’s habit of listening more than talking. He even draws a line from band rehearsals to recruitment: timing, teamwork, and showing up for the audience. If you’re wrestling with volume, cost, and culture in hiring, this conversation offers a practical playbook for using AI as a complement to people, not a replacement.

Enjoyed the conversation? Follow the show, leave a review, and share this episode with a colleague who is rethinking their hiring stack. What’s the first step you’ll take to make your recruitment faster and more human?