Data analysis expertise creating workforce efficiencies

NHS trusts in the FBOBSH (Frimley, Surrey and Borders, Berkshire Healthcare, Ashford and St. Peter’s, Royal Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxford Health, Oxford University Hospitals and Royal Surrey) group wanted to explore how analysing relevant data could support the organisation to find alternative suppliers to replace their off framework spend.

The trusts were looking for holistic support both from a procurement and staffing perspective as well as a data analysis one with the aim of running a cohesive approach where possible across the trusts/Inetagrated Care Boards (ICBs).

In response to their needs, the Data and Business Intelligence team from NHS London Procurement Partnership (NHS LPP), part of the NHS Workforce Alliance (NHS WA), along with NHS WA workforce category experts, worked with the FBOBSH project group to create the FBOBSH Supplier Tool, to provide an indicator of suppliers that could be used as an alternative to current off framework providers.

The tool is based on clinical and non-clinical framework data that suppliers submit to the Alliance, which shows a supplier’s historical provision and what rate they are providing workers at.

As part of this work, a clinical and non-clinical usage tab was also designed around a market control exercise where the FBOBSH project group wished to identify their top suppliers by spend, hours and shifts to help determine which suppliers they should engage with first to help manage rates. This has since evolved into the Alliance feeding in the supplier performance against a multifaceted Rate Card, how suppliers are performing against those rates and what the potential savings would be if shift rates were brought within the rates they have specified.

Adam Howes, Strategic Analyst Manager at NHS LPP, part of the NHS WA, said: “The FBOBSH team came to us for bespoke data support and to help with reducing their off framework spend. We evolved our offering as the requirements developed and changed and provided tools and actionable intelligence including benchmarking across a region, identifying key suppliers and supplier performance in order to ultimately identify potential areas for savings.”

Faye Ward, Programme Manager at BOB, Frimley and Surrey Heartlands, said: “We have worked extensively with NHS Workforce Alliance over the last 15 months to understand the level of data intelligence they are able to provide to inform us in our decision-making process across the nine trusts we support.

“Through working closely with the team, in particular Adam Howes, a tool has been developed to allow us to analyse data in a meaningful way enabling us to make evidence-based decisions in relation to agency suppliers and rates.

“The team has listened closely to our needs and been able to devise a tool that is both easy to use but also can present complex data in a simplified way. Adam is agile and responsive, always listening to our needs, reworking and adding data in where needed and making quick amends when required. I cannot speak highly enough of the work that has been undertaken and we have had extremely positive feedback from our stakeholders that have had access to the modelling.”

If you would like to hear how our Data and Business Intelligence team can support your NHS organisational needs, please get in touch today.