There were 30,613 full-time vacancies advertised by NHS England in March 2017, up from 26,424 in 2016 and 26,406 in 2015.

It is estimated that one in three nurses will reach retirement age by 2026, meaning that the need for longer term workforce management is more urgent than at any other time in the NHS’s history.

SHIFTS IN POLICY

In the UK, policy makers looking to address the recruitment and retention challenges facing the British healthcare system advocate the use of rostering software as part of the solution. Secretary of State for Health Jeremy Hunt has celebrated the progress rostering software has made on retention and resourcing:

“Look at what trusts in Plymouth, East and North Hertfordshire, Salisbury, and Leeds are achieving by following the

e-rostering model used by airlines.

“Look at the combined regional or city-wide nursing banks in Cheshire, Devon, or Northumbria that mean that for the first time in living memory trusts are spending more on bank staff than agencies.”

“Last year the NHS reduced agency spend by £700m—that’s £700m more for frontline care—but that was only possible because so many trusts are starting to make a reality of flexible working.”

The widespread adoption of the technology, combined with national guidance, in the UK has made such platforms a key tool for better shaping patient care.

However last year, NHS Improvement advised healthcare providers across England to produce workforce rosters four to six weeks ahead of when the roster is due to be worked. The guidance stemmed from Lord Carter’s review into hospital productivity, which stated: “While most hospitals use e-rostering, we found that few trusts were using its full functionality and benefiting fully from what it can do.

“A firmer grip of e-rostering will reduce dependency on bank and agency staff and it will improve predictability and consistency of deployment for staff even where recruitment is still a challenge.”

Paul Scandrett, Allocate Software director of healthcare, says this development marks a sea change in how UK’s healthcare leadership view e-rostering.

“A decade ago, no one wanted to talk to me or the company about rostering. Now, the health secretary talks about it and Lord Carter’s review has led to the NHS issuing guidance on how to carry out rostering. This makes the UK a leader.”