Rostering software forecast to save Bedford Hospitals £500,000

Bedford Hospital NHS Trust has ordered Manpower Software’s MAPS Healthroster ward-rostering software for Trust-wide implementation for its nurses and midwives. The software will replace the paper-based rostering system and is expected to reduce the temporary spend on both bank and agency staff, to improve establishment control and objectively measure and manage its nursing workforce.

After selection, Manpower Software and the Trust conducted a fast track rostering assessment (RA) which identified a conservative annual saving of £500,000 per annum from Trust-wide implementation. The RA is part of Manpower Software’s unique NHS methodology which uncovers problems in the current process and accurately forecasts the savings and efficiency improvements which the software can deliver at an individual Trust.

Director of Nursing Julie Halliday commented, “We chose Healthroster because it was the only product which covered the whole nursing and midwifery workforce process, from demand and establishment management, through rostering to temporary staff management. In addition, Healthroster showed its ability to meet the complex demands of the NHS nurse rostering process. Manpower Software also has the capability and the correct approach to deliver, with a clear understanding of the issues, challenges and solutions required. Furthermore, they had solid references from other NHS trusts where Healthroster had already achieved substantial financial savings.’

By effectively balancing the needs of wards with the needs of staff, the software reduces high bank and agency staffing spend, uses staff most efficiently and cuts the considerable staff time needed to create and maintain rosters manually. It can assist in ensuring that staff with the appropriate skills and experience are on duty, thus reducing clinical risk and improving patient care. Staff morale and management control are also enhanced.

Paul Scandrett, Manpower Software’s Director of NHS, commented, “With Trusts under severe financial pressure, cutting bank and agency spend is a top priority. As with our other NHS customers, Bedford has proved that Healthroster not only achieves hard cost savings but also improves service delivery and management control. The RAs currently under way with other Trusts point to the same — or greater — savings being achievable in NHS Acute Trusts nationwide. We can now offer the RA process to any Acute Trust to analyse their current rostering and establishment and forecast their savings by installing MAPS Healthroster.”

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