A longstanding partnership to deliver long-term workforce improvements

Where it all began

Patchwork Health’s relationship with Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (CW) is a special one. It’s where our story began.

Back in 2016, our co-founder, Dr Anas Nader – a resident doctor at the time – joined the Trust on a clinical fellowship. Working closely with the Trust’s workforce teams, he helped co-design what is now Patchwork Bank, a new model for how NHS organisations engage with and manage their temporary workforce.

Nearly a decade later, this early-stage innovation has evolved into a national platform, supporting over 100,000 clinicians across more than 200 organisations. CW remains a close and valued partner – one that continues to lead from the front when it comes to delivering high-impact, clinically safe, and financially sustainable temporary workforce management.

“ChelWest is where it all began for me and my journey into the NHS with Patchwork. I’ve seen firsthand how committed the team are at the Trust, and I’m proud that we’re still part of that story.” – Dr Anas Nader, CEO and Co-Founder, Patchwork Health

What working successfully together looks like

This isn’t a partnership built around a single piece of software or one-off implementation. It’s an ongoing, evolving relationship that reflects the realities of workforce planning and management in today’s NHS – and the need to move fast, adapt often, and make informed decisions backed by data.

From staffing coordinators to divisional leads and executive-level stakeholders, the Trust has consistently taken an engaged, hands-on approach to how it manages its medical staff bank. Digital adoption is championed from the top down, and there’s a shared commitment to achieving long-term impact, not just short-term fixes.

What progress looks like

Having used Patchwork Bank with significant success for many years, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust has also implemented Patchwork Agency Manager, taking another big step towards a fully connected, end-to-end workforce solution. The move has significantly improved visibility and control over agency usage – leading to a marked drop in agency-reliant shifts. 

Here’s a snapshot of where the Trust stands today when it comes to bank and agency metrics:

✅ 98% of shifts filled at base rate

✅ £15.05 million in cost avoidance since the start of the partnership (based on avoided agency spend from 2016 – Spring 2025)

✅ £1.48 million saved in quarter alone (Jan–March 2025)

✅ Agency shifts halved (April 2024-April 2025)

✅ 2000+ workers onboarded to the Trust’s bank 

These figures don’t just represent cost savings – they point to better consistency for staff, improved continuity of care, and less pressure on those coordinating the entire process behind the scenes across the service.

With an already healthy intake of workers and a growing bank, CW has a strong foundation to support its temporary staffing needs. There have been over 150 applications from workers to join the bank in just four months of 2025.

 

The fill rate is incredibly competitive at CW, with a very strong 98% fill in 2025 – a consistently high fill rate has been a feature of our partnership and it highlights the continued positive impact the technology is having on workforce outcomes.

 

Savings are a key priority for the Trust. £1.4 million has been saved through agency avoidance this year alone, with over £15 million saved in total since 2016. On our data and reporting platform, Patchwork Insights, the Trust can access a wealth of dashboards to monitor progress, drill down into departments or sites, delve deeper into the numbers and pull accessible reports.

 

“I personally use Patchwork Insights a lot. It saves us time, the graphs are easy to understand, and it’s a lot less clunky than other systems. I really enjoy using it.”

Thelma Flammia, Temporary Staffing Manager

Planning for the months ahead

Looking ahead, both teams are focused on ensuring the Trust is getting maximum value from the tools available. A full system audit is being planned to uncover new opportunities for alignment and efficiency, while ongoing efforts will focus on continuing to reduce agency reliance.

There’s still plenty of value to unlock, too. If agency usage for medics is reduced from the current 6% to just 2%, the Trust could unlock an additional £2.7m in cost avoidance over the coming quarter. And with strong processes already in place, that goal is well within reach.

Lessons from nearly a decade of partnership

This isn’t just an example of turning around a specific challenge – it’s a story of building and maintaining a high-functioning, high-trust relationship over time.

One of the biggest drivers of success has been the Trust’s own commitment to engagement. From involving divisional leads in the partnership to regularly reviewing and updating permissions and controls, CW has embedded workforce ownership into the day-to-day running of the temporary workforce function. The proactiveness from the organisation has driven marked continuous improvement.

The result is a sustainable staffing model that balances flexibility with financial control – one that’s grounded in transparency, guided by data, and backed by a collaborative approach.

“I have been ChelWest’s Client Relationship Director since joining Patchwork almost three years ago. It is so rewarding to work with such an engaged group of stakeholders across the Trust, and it’s fantastic to see the incredible results of the work we have been doing together. I’m really excited to further support the Trust in achieving their strategic and financial goals over the years to come.”

Rebecca Harnett-Holmes, Client Relationship Director, Patchwork Health