Previously, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust’s (ChelWest) temporary staffing team relied on outdated methods of communication with locum clinicians to fill vacant shifts, such as cold calling and mass emails.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.
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.