Increasing Staff Bank Fill Rates and Reducing Agency Spend at Chelsea & Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Highlights
£1.2 million saved annually from reduced agency spend
>80% of all shifts filled through staff bank between April 2020 – December 2021
62% decrease in agency spend in just the first 6 months
85% of shifts booked 4 weeks in advance
380,000+ hours worked by internal bank staff between January 2020 – January 2022
The Challenge
Previously, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust’s (ChelWest) temporary staffing team relied on outdated methods of communication with locum clinicians to fill vacant shifts, such as cold calling and mass emails. This resulted in shifts being filled at the last minute, at escalated rates or outsourced to more costly agencies. Additionally, paper timesheets, payments and data sourcing were managed manually, creating a huge admin burden for temporary staffing teams.
The Solution
Patchwork first implemented its tech enabled staff bank service at West Middlesex University Hospital’s Emergency Department, one of the hospitals within the Trust, which had an existing bank fill rate of 35%. Within months, it had completely revolutionised the temporary staffing function and due to its success, Patchwork was implemented across the entire Trust.
Results
Staff Bank Growth & Increased Shift Fill Rate
With the Patchwork app, clinicians book shifts on demand:
- 80% of shifts filled within 7 days of being advertised
- 85% average bank fill rate between April 2020 – December 2021
- 60% staff increase within 2 months
Improved Shift Lead Times
- 85% of ED shifts booked 4 weeks in advance
Reduced Agency Reliance
- £144,000 saved annually on agency at West Middlesex Hospital
- £1.2 million saved annually on agency spend Trust-wide
- 62% decrease in agency spend in just the first 6 months
Reduced Admin Burden & Efficient Communications
Patchwork’s digitised staff bank has enabled ChelWest to instantly broadcast shifts to all clinicians efficiently, filling more shifts, sooner. Numerous tasks such as electronic payments are now automated and digitised, removing headache and the significant admin burden.