Use of technology data science and self-service workforce applications

Over recent years, there has been an emergence of over 150 healthcare staffing technology providers offering a variety of candidate attraction, rostering and employment-related technology systems. To date, none of those acting as a candidate market place or candidate attraction application have gained any sizeable market penetration; either they haven’t proved popular, have attracted the same staff that are registered everywhere else, or they do not address worker compliance and verification so are reliant on other third parties.

Those providing staff rostering capability and providing candidates with the ability to self-serve themselves into work have been more widely adopted. User propensity is still relatively small as a percentage of overall shift provided, but this is inclining.

The technology space is constantly evolving with increased scope for interoperability, integration and new software to drive, attraction, engagement, rostering and improve the candidate experience.

Bank Partners, along with some larger agency suppliers use digital apps to support candidate engagement. There is an opportunity to roll out further technology to drive engagement across both bank and agency staff which will yield improved availability for work. There are also considerable advantages to be gained from the use of data science and algorithmic matching of workers to shifts, particularly when supported by nudge notifications and conversation from an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot. We are at an advanced stage of testing data science to enhance the optimisation of worker pools and have used AI chatbots in the recruitment process for several years.

A summary of our approach to data science and the identifiable improvements on fulfilment can be found in Appendix 3, part of the full report.

The ongoing opportunities presented by new technology in workforce resourcing and management are as follows:

• Improved speed to hire
• Enhanced candidate experience
• Drive process efficiencies
• Greater automation of compliance, validation and verification
• Improved workforce optimisation/capacity
• Supplier efficiencies
• Automated rostering and worker self-service of assignments
• Automated time and attendance
• Identification of actionable insights from candidate and work experience
• Enhanced management information

Further insight

This is the sixth in a series of seven articles as part of our ‘NHS workforce provision in a new world’ report. Follow us on LinkedIn to access part seven, where we look at improving leadership culture, candidate perception of the NHS and retention of staff.