Partnering with the Lead Employer Trust to complement a medical collaborative bank for Doctors in Training
1,250 active doctors in training across 73 specialities
Bookings via the bank up 30% year on year
The Challenge
The main driver for this project was to bring extra rigour and transparency in the area of compliance. However, other objectives included reducing the overall expenditure associated with medical temporary workforce, benefitting from workforce intelligence detailing hours worked by Doctors in Training (DiT), and being able to passport workers across the region to facilitate true collaboration. Liaison Workforce understood from the trusts that there were perceived barriers to joining a collaborative bank including:
- Disruption to other workforce services which are in situ.
- Harmonising pay rates between organisations.
The Solution
Liaison Workforce worked with the Lead Employer Trust (LET) for the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care System in 2017 to develop Flexishift – a collaborative bank service for Doctors in Training.
Over the last four years, Liaison Workforce has developed the collaborative bank with the LET and other NHS organisations in the region, building it into a successful initiative across the system:
The Outcomes
December 2017
A six-month proof of concept pilot initiated with five trusts.
August 2018
TempRE App goes live – Doctors in Training add their CV and book shifts on the go.
September 2018
Two further NHS organisations join the medical collaborative bank.
April 2020
Five new COVID-19 speciality codes allow doctors to work across multiple departments.
July 2020
The first mental health organisation also joins the regional collaborative bank.
August 2020
Over 300 FY1s added.
Key Benefits
Productivity
Increased operational standards through investment in education and
training led to maximised productivity and focus on staffing rather than administration.
Workforce planning
Greater use of rostering data and analysis to know who works
Patient outcomes
Increases in continuity and quality of care led to improved patient safety.
Compliance
System-wide governance, facilitated by mii Experts providing payroll governance and flexible payroll options.
Innovation
By introducing mii Collaborative Bank and re-designing flexible workforce management processes, the LET was able to drive efficiencies across the system and reinvest savings back into patient care.
Maximising regional bank resource
Prioritising mii Collaborative Bank workforce resulted in enhanced staff experience, increased retention rates, and continuity of staffing deployment leading to improved patient experience.
Outcomes at the time of publication:
Eight trusts are now part of Flexishift:
- County Durham and Darlington NHS Trust
- Gateshead Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
- North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust
- South Tees NHS Foundation Trust
- North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust
- Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust
mii Collaborative Bank supported NHS organisations through the Covid-19 pandemic, enabling them to cover vacant shifts and minimise their requirement for agency engagement.
mii Collaborative Bank workers cover 73 specialities, with 9 difficult specialities being filled by workers on the collaborative bank.
There are over 1,250 active Doctors in Training registered on the bank, up 66% year on year.
Bookings via the collaborative bank are up 30% year on year.
Over 300 FY1s have been added, with FY2s following in 2021.
Intelligence provided to inform the national picture on Covid-19.
Linsey Richards
Head of Human Resources, Lead Employer Trust, Health Education England North East.
Next Steps
FY2s will be added to the collaborative bank in August 2021, with other staffing areas also being considered for inclusion.
Get in Touch
To discuss temporary workforce management solutions for your NHS organisation, or system working and collaborative bank opportunities for your region.
Business:
Lead Employer Trust (LET) - North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care System
Challenge
Improve compliance, utilise bank shifts, and passport workers across the region
Solutions
mii Collaborative Bank mii Data Warehouse mii Apps mii Experts