Flexible Workforce Support Critical in Recovery Phase

2 Sep 2021 Anne Marie Fogarty

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Young female doctor smiling while standing in a hospital corridor with a diverse group of staff in the background

If there’s one thing that 2020 highlighted for us here in the U.K., it’s that without our flexible healthcare professionals, life as we know it would be much, much harder than it is now.

 

The global Coronavirus pandemic of 2020, and 2021 for that matter, proved just how important a robust Health Service in this country is. Due to COVID-19, our healthcare system has and continues to face some significant challenges. The truth of the matter is that, without substantial investments and meaningful commitment from the government to address the current crippling workforce challenges, our NHS will continue to remain overwhelmed, and burnout rates will continue to increase amongst our healthcare colleagues.

Not only do healthcare workers have to continue to deal with the threat and repercussions of COVID, but there are also vast backlogs of patients to get through because operations, treatments, screenings, and hospital visits were all but postponed throughout much of 2020. As a result of this, flexible workforce solutions are in higher demand than ever before, this not only by healthcare providers due to significant workforce shortages, but now more than ever driven as a choice by healthcare workers to support a better work-life balance, which is what we’re looking at today.

Below, we’ll highlight the importance of flexible healthcare workforce solutions, particularly during what will undoubtedly be one of the most challenging times for the NHS in recent memory.

Why flexible workforce solutions strategy is critical to healthcare providers

Over the years, flexible workforce solutions such as ProMedical have found themselves in higher demand than ever before. Now, as we hopefully steer our way cautiously out of the pandemic, we can set our sights on the future. The NHS has a monumental task ahead of it, as it is estimated that waiting lists could rise by as much as 13 million in England next year.

Hiring flexible workforce solutions will help bring down waiting lists and help clear NHS backlogs much quicker. Here’s a look at several key benefits associated with hiring flexible workforce solutions.

Why strong partnership with flexible healthcare workforce organisations is key to the recovery phase

One of the main reasons flexible healthcare workforce organisations such as ProMedical have flourished over the last year or so is because they enable hiring more professional candidates; during the last 19 months, our bank of flexible healthcare professionals have seen a 15% growth across doctors and nurses.

Flexible workforce solutions will allow healthcare providers to hire professional candidates who would be right for the advertised jobs. Flexible Healthcare Workforce Organisations have access to a vast and ever-expanding network of highly skilled, professional, and experienced individuals who specialize in a whole host of different medical fields.

Whether you’re looking for doctors, nurses, or anyone else for that matter, flexible healthcare workforce solutions have an expansive network of professionals, so you can rest assured that you’ll hire the right person for the task at hand.

Provide block-booking services

One of the most significant issues that hospitals and other private healthcare providers face is a distinct lack of staff long-term.

Often, employees hired on a part-time basis will find themselves working full-time hours to cover absent staff members or simply to help during particularly busy and testing periods.

As highlighted in a recent thank you letter from Helen Whately, MP Minister of State for Care:

 “Thanking you again for your invaluable efforts in supporting our healthcare system during what has been an unprecedented and challenging time. In health and social care, I am grateful to our agency staff for all their hard work and for stepping up when their country needed them the most.

Our flexible staff, including bank and agency, will play an integral part in reducing the backlog of elective care and operations, and we anticipate a great need for additional healthcare staff over the coming months.”

‘Block bookings help Trusts with their workforce planning and create a more predictable employment offer for staff.’ This means that rather than adopting a wait and see approach as to how busy you may get and how many members of staff you may require, you can book employees in for pre-determined durations of time so not only will you always have the staff needed, but you’ll also have the peace of mind that the staff are there for the dates you’ve booked them in for. We here at ProMedical provide block bookings which are highly beneficial.

NHS England and NHS Improvement compliant route to service provision

Here in the U.K., the NHS will only utilize Framework approved service providers, which is great news for us, and you, as our flexible healthcare workforce organisation is multi-Framework approved.

Flexible healthcare workforce planning and provision aligned to NHS long term plan and People plan  

Flexible workforce solutions make recruitment much easier and a great deal more straightforward. There’s no need to create adverts, speak to candidates on the phone or via email, conduct interviews, and then inform them whether they got the job. Flexible healthcare workforce organisations are dedicated to onboarding the best candidates for the task at hand, and because we have the right contacts, we’ll find the perfect people with minimal effort.

Effective and efficient solution-focused approach

The NHS is vastly understaffed, that was the case pre-COVID, and it is now more apparent than ever before post-COVID.

A lack of staff severely impacts patient care delivery, and so ensuring staffing levels and skill mix remains within safe levels is critical.

Having the ability to hire quickly and efficiently will help healthcare organisations to thrive and could potentially save lives in the process, therefore always putting people first.

 

 

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