Transforming the Staff Bank and Reducing Rate Escalations at Aintree University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Highlights
Fewer than 3% of shifts paid at escalated rates
> 90% average staff bank fill rate consistently over an 18 month period
Staff bank growth from 200 to over 950 clinicians within 2 years
15% reduction in agency usage in the first 3 months alone
Shifts booked by bank doctors up to 8 weeks in advance
Reduced admin burden through digitised and automated processes
The Challenge
Aintree University Hospital’s (AUH) staff bank was previously managed by 34 departments within the Trust, each with their own different processes and pay rates. This not only created internal competition leading to unwarranted pay rate escalations, but locums also had poor visibility of shifts in all departments; meaning shifts were filled at the last minute – often outsourced to agencies. Additionally, temporary staffing data recording, such as total spend and number of vacant shifts, was disjointed or missing vital information.
The Solution
AUH worked collaboratively with Patchwork to implement their tech-enabled staff bank service; creating a streamlined, centralised staff bank function used Trust-wide.
Results
Staff Bank Growth and Agency Savings
With the Patchwork app, clinicians now have visibility of shifts in all departments and can book them immediately:
- Staff bank growth from 200 to 950 clinicians in two years.
- > 90% average staff bank fill rate consistently over an 18 month period
Reduced Admin Burden and Happier Staff
With the Patchwork Employer Hub, AUH manage the entire staffing process end to-end, giving them:
- Greater predictability, efficiency and transparency
- Reduced admin burden with tasks digitised and automated
- Increased management satisfaction, at 94% compared to 40% in previous surveys.
Harmonised Rates & Reduced Rate Escalations
- 40% reduction in rate escalations, saving £55,000 through the introduction of one standard policy and rate card.
Reduced Admin Burden & Efficient communications
With data platform Patchwork Insights, AUH can now access a wealth of real-time data and insights including fill rates, unfilled shifts, and actual & forecasted spend to
meet targets.
Increased Staff Bank Fill Rate
- > 90% average staff bank fill rate consistently over an 18 month period
- 20% increase in average fill rate in the first 3 months alone
- 15% reduction in agency usage in the first 3 months alone