Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust has successfully rolled out SMART workforce management e-rostering across all departments, both clinical and non-clinical, for 136 rosters covering 2,500 staff. It has also introduced the solution to support 1,000 community staff for timesheets and payroll.
The Trust has seen improved rosters that meet the flexible working requirements of staff while providing the correct skill mix for patient care, as well as improved staff sickness and holiday records for managers.
Comparisons of one ward showed a reduction of overspend of £7,424 to £476 in one month.
Increased roster fill rates for a single medical ward from 90% to 96.43% in one year.
The SMART Workforce Management from Kronos, has reduced the time spent by managers on non-clinical commitments using the system. The e-rostering data is stored centrally and provides visibility of staff shortfalls. Staff can now be redeployed between departments to reduce agency costs.
SMART is a workforce management solution widely used by the UK’s NHS across England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. SMART enables NHS and other health organisations to meet their patient quality care objectives, including the Quality, Innovation, Productivity, and Prevention (QIPP) agenda in England, by optimising staff and ensuring that quality patient care is delivered as efficiently as possible.
All information regarding shifts worked, sickness episodes, enhancements or overtime shifts is now electronically loaded into the payroll system at the end of each month, removing the need for manual processing, reducing both errors and saving time.
Liz Pugh, HR manager at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust:
Our staff working in community services have embraced the new SMART workforce management system from Kronos. Many of them are used to adopting new technologies, often relying upon them when working remotely and have quickly appreciated the benefits of having timesheets approved without relying on the post, as well as more accurate payslips.
As well as the benefits we have realised by having Trust-wide information, our managers have really seen the benefits with improved information that they can easily access, including sickness and holiday data. It’s easy to use and gives us a one-stop shop for information.
For managers working in community services, it has meant they have an immediate overview of staff hours worked, sickness cover, and leave. The automated time sheets provide a better picture of the service delivery for the matrons overseeing teams across as many as 12 different areas, without having to contact each individual manager.
The Trust expects a reduction of two full-time staff equivalent time to process payroll through efficiencies gaine
Tristan Spencer, director, SMART, A Kronos Solution:
Harrogate and District NHS Trust has been able to realise genuine cost benefits from efficient roster planning as well as meet staff working requirements while still deliver high-quality patient care. With centralised information, managers are also able to have an accurate picture of staff records across the whole Trust services, including the wider community services, for improved analysis and planning.
The National Health Service (NHS) is one of the largest employers in the world, and is the largest in Europe, with more than 1.3 million staff.
