The platform provides medics with greater control and flexibility over their working hours, and enables departments to plan shifts strategically and in line with patient demand. North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust has launched a new e-rostering platform aimed at boosting wellbeing and retention for its medics and to improve workforce reporting. The platform, built and delivered in partnership with healthcare workforce specialists Patchwork Health, gives managers access to all rostering, rota-building and leave management activities through a single system. By enhancing workforce ..read more

Rob McDonald, NHS Retention Services Manager at NHS Shared Business Services, asks whether exit interviews could hold the key to boosting NHS retention – a key goal of the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan. Collaboration has been an NHS mantra for years now. According to all sources, no matter what the problem, collaboration (oh, and technology) will solve it. But is that true? Intriguingly, my experience is that – far from being a panacea – the move towards collaboration might be exacerbating the NHS’s staffing problems. Don’t get me wrong. I’m a fan of collaboration. It helps to spread good pract ..read more

Research compares access to radiotherapy and chemotherapy across four countries and eight cancer types. New research by University College London reveals that cancer patients in the UK wait longer for treatment compared to several other nations. In a first-of-its-kind study, researchers analysed data from two studied published in the Lancet Oncology, covering more than 780,000 patients diagnosed with eight different types of cancer between 2012 and 2017 in the UK, Australia, Canada, and Norway. The cancer types were oesophageal, stomach, colon, rectal, liver, pancreatic, lung and ovarian cance ..read more

Why digitising your hospital supplies management can improve patient safety, reduce spend and drive efficiencies. In a regular organisation, inventory management matters. But in a hospital setting, the stakes are that much higher as missing or poorly managed inventory can put lives at risk. Health is by far the biggest area of government procurement spending; in fact, it is more than three times larger than defence spending, the next largest area. Most NHS procurement spending in England goes on healthcare, with around £18bn on medicine and nearly £6bn per year on ‘hospital consumables’ – any ..read more

The research compares access to radiotherapy and chemotherapy across four countries and eight cancer types. New research by University College London reveals that cancer patients in the UK wait longer for treatment compared to several other nations. In a first-of-its-kind study, researchers analysed data from two studied published in the Lancet Oncology, covering more than 780,000 patients diagnosed with eight different types of cancer between 2012 and 2017 in the UK, Australia, Canada, and Norway. The cancer types were oesophageal, stomach, colon, rectal, liver, pancreatic, lung and ovarian c ..read more

NHS Shared Business Services’s new online portal hosts more than 40 procurement framework agreements in one place, enabling compliant and cost-effective procurement for NHS and public sector organisations. Corporate services provider, NHS Shared Business Services (NHS SBS), has officially unveiled a new online portal to make it quicker and easier to access its portfolio of framework agreements when contracting authorities want to buy goods or services. Free to access, NHS SBS’s Customer Framework Agreement Portal provides a simple way for NHS and public sector organisations to procure solution ..read more

NHS ambulance leaders are calling for a fresh approach to designing and delivering urgent and emergency care, including an expanded role for paramedics in helping to treat people at home and ease pressure on hospitals. A new report, A vision for the NHS ambulance sector, developed by the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives (AACE) in partnership with NHS Providers and NHS Confederation, has found that a new and enhanced role for ambulance services could be key to help reduce wider system pressures and provided added benefits to patients and staff. While the report says that ambulance serv ..read more

Above: Sophie Theed with her twins in a Kanmed BabyBed on the Oliver Fisher Neonatal Unit at Medway Maritime Hospital. Central Medical Supplies (CMS) has provided Kanmed BabyBeds to the Oliver Fisher Neonatal Unit (OFNU) at Medway Maritime Hospital in Gillingham, Kent, following fundraising by the Oliver Fisher Special Care Baby Trust (OFSCBT) charity. The charity exists to support the OFNU, which during an average year, provides care to over one thousand babies, ranging from those needing just a little support post-birth to those with complex health issues. The OFSCBT purchased ten single Kan ..read more

As the healthcare landscape evolves, it’s time to reimagine the facilities helpdesk – no longer as a mere cost burden, but as an integral element synonymous with delivering high-quality, patient-centred care. Martin Anderson, CEO of Lemon Contact Centre, a 24/7 facilities helpdesk specialist based in the North East, advocates for a fresh perspective. In the healthcare sector, maintaining top-notch facilities is imperative to uphold the commitment of providing high-quality services to patients. According to Martin, the facilities helpdesk plays a pivotal role behind the scenes in ensuring the e ..read more

The new platform provides managers with a comprehensive view of staff rostering, enabling greater flexibility and shift pattern visibility. Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust has gone live with a new e-rostering platform, aimed at supporting flexible and transparent rota planning for the Trust’s medical workforce. The Trust hopes that the move will enable a greater visibility of its workforce, and facilitate the organisation of more dynamic, data-driven rostering able to adapt to fluctuating service demand. The adoption of the new platform, built and delivered in partnership with healthca ..read more