Hospital slashes staff costs with new software

Staff rostering software has saved North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Trust more that £500,000 by reducing its need for agency staff.

By providing ward managers with a clearer view of staff and skills available across the trust, staff can be deployed where the need is greatest.

Manpower Software's MAPS Healthroster system saves money by reducing the need to bring in costly agency staff. With improved planning, trusts can rely on their permanent staff to meet the needs of their wards.

Between April and July this year the trust has saved £557,000 on agency staff and overtime compared to the same period last year, according to Esther Blakey, the nursing resource manager at North Tees and Hartlepool Trust.

She said: "Previously wards were isolated and silo-like, now ward managers can utilise staff from across the trust."

Blakey added: "We can now project the needs of the ward rather than reacting to situations - we no longer use the finger in the air method of managing our staff."

By using the Healthroster software, ward managers can project the needs of their wards to plan ahead and save on paperwork.

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The software was first piloted at the North Tees and Hartlepool Trust in Feburuary 2005 before three wards signed up in August 2006. By July 2006, 33 wards were using the system.

Initially nursing staff were not keen on the system, complaining they could not do work - such as drawing up shift rotas - at home, said Blakey. But once staff got used to it they appreciated the benefits.

Blakey also stressed the time-saving benefits, saying admin that previously took several hours per week can now be done in half an hour.