Case Study - NHS Professionals

Case Study
Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust
Trust Overview
The Trust executive team had three key objectives:
Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust (Royal Berks) is
one of the largest general hospital Trusts in the country,
providing acute hospital services to Reading, Wokingham
and West Berkshire and specialist services to a wider
population across Berkshire and its borders. The Trust
aims to provide the best healthcare in the UK. This
objective is underpinned by its values: ambition, excellence
and innovation.
•
Achieve clear visibility of all locum requests
across the Trust
•
Gain control of all medical locum suppliers
•
Reduce back-office processing and
management costs
The main base for the Trust is The Royal Berkshire
Hospital near the centre of Reading. The Prince Charles
Eye Unit, in Windsor, provides ophthalmology services
to the patients of East Berkshire and dialysis services at
a dialysis unit in Windsor. In addition, the Trust manages
the day surgery unit and the acute outpatient department
of the West Berkshire Community Hospital. Overall,
the Trust has approximately 4,800 staff covering and more
than 900 beds.
Situation
Royal Berks has a typical requirement for upto 5,000
locum doctor assignments in a typical year, many of
which are covered by long-term placements. Demand
for locums originated from multiple sources within the
Trust, with little centralised visibility or control and many
retrospective bookings.
Locums are supplied through a variety of agencies,
from the Buying Solutions Framework agreement and
supported by others that are not on any approved
procurement framework.
Each agency generates an invoice for every individual
timesheet completed by the locum during the assignment
and each invoice incurs a back-office processing cost from
Oracle iProc.
[email protected] | 0845 373 3409 | www.nhsp.co.uk
The Solution
Clinical Resourcing Manager at Royal Berks, Miriam
Palk, is the Trust Lead for the existing managed service
contract with NHS Professionals (NHSP). Miriam is an
active member of the NHSP Client Board, representing the
interests of all NHSP client Trusts.
Aware of the Managed Locum Service offer, Miriam
requested a proposal from NHSP in December 2010. The
opportunity to reduce cost, improve governance standards
and help achieve its triple aim was compelling and the Trust
executive team immediately agreed to channel its entire
locum doctor requirement through the NHSP managed
service platform.
Challenging delivery date
Recognising the scale of potential savings and visibility
of improvements being offered, the Trust was determined
to get maximum benefit as quickly as possible and
set a challenging delivery deadline of the first week of
January 2011.
The cost saving opportunities without risking the clinical
care of patients for the Trust were just indisputable, but
it was clear that it wouldn’t be an easy process. Some
of our suppliers just didn’t want it to happen.
Miriam Palk, Clinical Resourcing Manager, Royal Berks
The scope, agreed in the first week of December,
determined that the implementation would consist of
two phases: implementing the platform and service for
locums provided through existing agencies, followed by
the on-boarding process for Trust Locums, substantively
employed by the Trust.
We have a well proven process for implementing the
service but the real key to any implementation is the
absolute commitment and energy from the Trust to
make things happen.
Stephen Dangerfield, Operations Director, NHSP
Operational within twelve working days
The NHSP Implementation team engaged immediately
and daily conference calls kept the project moving forward,
preventing anything from blocking the process.
The key to making this happen so quickly was having
the right people involved from each organisation. We
simply decided from the outset that we wouldn’t let
anything get in our way.
Miriam Palk, Clinical Resourcing Manager, Royal Berks
The Trust kept doctors in the four clinical division teams
fully informed of the process, walking them through the
process and identifying potential gaps.
In early December, the Trust met with its primary agency
suppliers to explain the change in process and advise
them that the Trust would restrict locum assignments to
Buying Solutions Framework rates or lower.
Some of the agencies involved initially seemed determined
to derail the process, but quickly fell into line following
compliance notices from the Trust. Agencies were given
one of 2 tier ratings and this gave sight of shifts at different
timeframes reinforcing the control measures offered by
using NHSP:Online
With the NHSP:Online platform already deployed for
nursing, the Trust appreciated what would be required
to implement another staff group. Recognising that
inertia within the Trust was the biggest risk, Royal
Berks managed that aspect expertly.
Stephen Thompson, Head of Implementations, NHSP
The system is now fully up-to-date, complete with all Trust
Locums, recent retirees who still undertake assignments
and doctors operating as limited companies.
Outcome
All medical locum assignments within
Royal Berks are now:
•
placed via the NHSP:Online system
•
allocated a specific booking reason
•
authorised at the appropriate level
•
available to appropriately qualified Trust-based
locums
•
cascaded to all agencies via the NHSP:Online
platform at an agreed time
•
priced within the Buying Solutions Framework
agreement
•
consolidated by NHSP to minimise back-office costs
to the Trust
•
visible to the Trust executive through NHSP
Management Information
Control over the quality of medical staff booked remains
with clinicians but allows ease of reporting where
concerns are raised.
It’s very early days yet, but we’re already anticipating
some cost reduction just from scrutinising locum
demand and rates we are charged with the same rigour
we have been applying to other flexible workers for
years.
Miriam Palk, Clinical Resourcing Manager, Royal Berks
Next steps
NHSP has now agreed to commence recruitment of
locum doctors to fill short-term assignments at Royal
Berks on substantially lower rates for the Trust, with
minimal impact on income for the locums involved.
It is still difficult for me to accept that we have delivered
this in 12 working days. The NHSP Implementation
team, the Doctors Service, our local Trust Liaison
Co-ordinator Coralie Duff and the client relation team
have just been outstanding at every step. A faultless
performance and a true example of partnership
working.
Miriam Palk, Clinical Resourcing Manager, Royal Berks
CS/017/03/11
Trust access through NHSP:Online for requesting agency
locums was granted on 23rd December, allowing agencies
to fill assignments due to commence in January 2011.
[email protected] | 0845 373 3409 | www.nhsp.co.uk