Workforce systems could help NHS save £150m a year

Whose turn is it with the scapel?

The NHS could save up to £150m a year and improve patient care if more hospital trusts used workforce management and electronic roster systems, according to a recent research paper.

The paper, published by Pierre Audoin Consultants (PAC) and commissioned by workforce management system vendor Smart, highlights that more than half (54 per cent) of trusts do not have automated roster systems. It cites 15 case studies where such systems have carved considerable lumps of cash off hospital operating costs.

For example, Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust saved around £500,000 in 12 months through the implementation of an electronic roster system. South Devon Healthcare NHS Trust reduced temporary staff costs by eight per cent, resulting in a saving of £350,000. The Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust reduced sickness absence from 5.4 per cent to 3.1 per cent, saving £500,000 per year.

The NHS has an annual budget of more than £100bn, about 60 per cent of which is used to pay staff. With 1.7m people on the payroll it is the fourth largest employer in the world after the Chinese Army, Indian Railways and Wal-mart.

The paper argues that the benefits of workforce management systems stretch beyond quantifiable cash savings to include improvements in staff satisfaction, lower absence rates and reduced time spent on administration. Other advantages include improved flexibility and control for staff over the hours and shifts that they work. It also ensures they are correctly paid and on time, for actual hours worked, and the visibility provided by an automated system ensures that shifts are assigned fairly. The report says that all these factors materially improve working conditions.