HealthTrust Europe Staff Raised an Incredible £5000 for Cancer Research UK in 2021

HealthTrust Europe (HTE) is committed to the care and improvement of human life. The company and its employees demonstrate this by continuing to support local charitable organisations through fundraising thousands of pounds, helping to make a difference every year.

HTE staff supported Cancer Research UK as their chosen charity for 2021. Throughout the year, HealthTrust Europe staff took part in many fundraising activities to reach their target of £5000 and support the valuable work they do.  This included monthly challenges for staff at HealthTrust Europe to compete for the title of ‘The Best Team in HTE’, demonstrating DIY, baking, arts and crafts and photography skills.  The company’s Corporate Social Responsibility team also organised a Festive charity auction, raffle, regular bake sales and dress down Fridays to raise funds.

HealthTrust Europe’s Chief Operating Officer, Dale Robinson said:

“I am proud of everyone at HealthTrust Europe for reaching the target we have set to fundraise for Cancer Research UK. Thank you to everyone who have donated and participated in our fundraising activities, this is a great achievement, and we hope our efforts will help Cancer Research UK.”

Cancer Research UK fund scientists and healthcare professionals to help beat cancer. Since 1971, they have raised millions and with their help, researchers have discovered new treatments for more than 100 types of cancer and they continue to find ways to prevent, diagnose and treat the disease better than ever before and in the past 40 years there have been a massive improvement in the cancer survival rate.

Chelsie May, Relationship Executive at Cancer Research said:

“Thank you so much to everyone involved in the amazing fundraising at HealthTrust Europe. Your fundraising plays a vital part in helping us make faster progress towards our goal of seeing 3 in 4 people surviving cancer by 2034. On behalf of everyone at Cancer Research UK, thank you for your support.”

The charity cheque handover for Cancer Research UK was performed in February 2022, when Dale Robinson presented a £5000 cheque to Chelsie May at the company’s staff All Hands meeting.

 

 

HealthTrust Europe will continue to fundraise for charities every year and do their best to exceed their targets.

Total Workforce Solutions II (TWS II) – ICS Workforce Planning

Developing System Partnerships

As the NHS moves into the planning, structuring and organisational phase of Integrated Care Systems (ICS), HealthTrust Europe (HTE) is working to partner with health and care providers to put the future people plan into action with our workforce and HR portfolio. Total Workforce Solutions II has been specifically designed to deliver the needs of ICS and cross-ICS projects and initiatives that seek to optimise workforce planning on a free to access basis.

As part of a structured system plan around workforce and HR, HTE can help ICS and cross-ICS working groups with procurement expertise to undertake market reviews and collaborative contracting for required services and marketing leading solutions including:

  • Consultancy and Advisory Services – Workforce, HR and Transformation;
  • Managed Payroll, transactional HR and Pensions services;
  • Clinical and Medical Rostering Solutions;
  • Bank and Agency Demand Solutions including:
    * Bank Apps (for all staff group);
    * Managed and Collaborative Bank (for all staff groups)
    * Agency Managed Services including Neutral Vendor (for all staff groups)
  • Permanent Recruitment including Medical, Clinical and Non-Clinical job roles
  • Executive Recruitment for Medical, Clinical and Non-Clinical leadership positions
  • International Recruitment of Doctors, Nurses and AHP/HSS workers
  • Agency Staffing for Doctors, Nurses and AHP/HSS workers
  • Non-Clinical Agency Staffing including Statements of Work
  • Interpretation, Translation and Transcription Services

Our Total HR portfolio will be further enhanced in 2022 with our latest agreements for Employee Vetting (employment checks, references, occupational health, employee assistance programmes) and Employee Benefits (salary sacrifice, personal vehicle leasing, financial wellbeing). We would also be keen to hear from you with respect to the products, services and solutions that you would like to procure in 2022/23 to focus our added value on you.

HTE is proud to support health and care providers with the recruitment and retention of staff to deliver the right resource, at the right time for the right cost. We look forward to engaging more closely in supporting your plan to deliver successful outcomes.

Supporting the Integrated Care Systems Agenda

Achieving fully integrated care has long been a priority for the UK Government, and indeed the health and care sectors, who have advocated for the greater collaboration and joining up of healthcare services for several years. Integrated Care Systems (ICS’s), as outlined by NHS England, will ‘remove traditional divisions between hospitals and family doctors, between physical and mental health, and between NHS and council services.’ The ambition is that by removing these divisions, a more holistic and streamlined approach to health and care will be achieved.

The importance of delivering ICS’s has become even more urgent following the COVID-19 pandemic, which highlighted the urgent need to better connect people to services and support, whilst exposing some of the severe gaps in health equality across the country. Consequently, ICS’s are high on the Health and Social Care agenda for 2021. Earlier this year, the Government published its legislative proposals for a Health and Care Bill, titled ‘integration and innovation: working together to improve health and social care for all.’ The Bill sets out several key policy recommendations for highly anticipated health and social care reform – including achieving integrated care which sits at number 1.

HealthTrust Europe is proud to support ICS’s and the shift toward to a more holistic and joined up approach to health and care, and as part of this commitment, we have compiled a selection of our leading Frameworks to support this agenda. Our carefully selected list includes:

  • CPAP Award Summary
    • Covers the supply of CPAP, BiPAP, Sleep Therapy Devices, Consumables and the provision of a sleep and respiratory support service.
    • These products are used to support patients with conditions including sleep apnoea and other breathing disorders; and more recently, have been identified as a cheap and efficient solutions for those diagnosed with COVID-19 where patients can suffer respiratory failure. CPAP machines, for example, can offer breathing support to those patients – bolstering ICS’s resources to support the pandemic recovery.
    • There was, and continues to be, a very high demand for such devices as a result of COVID-19; therefore, this Award Summary will support the immediate recovery and long-term approach to the pandemic.
  • Patient Mobility Award Summary
    • Encompasses prosthetics and services including artificial limbs, orthoses and services including insoles, bespoke spinal braces, footwear including surgical shoes, wheelchair products and assessment services, walking frames, specialised seating and aids to daily living.
    • Patient mobility is a growing issue in line with the ageing population in the UK. In Britain, people are living longer than ever before, meaning there is a higher demand for daily living aids and other mobility related products and services than ever before. The Health Survey for England 2017 reported that 23% of men and 28% of women aged over 65 stated the need for help in at least one Activity of Daily Living (ADL).
    • Patient mobility is a significant priority for healthcare providers. Understanding and tackling mobility issues early can be a critical factor in a patients’ recovery. Fundamentally, living aids and other mobility related products can support elderly independence, helping to improve the health and wellbeing of elderly individuals in the community.
  • Pressure Area Care Award Summary
    • A comprehensive range of products and services including an expansive range of medical beds, bariatric equipment, support aids, decontamination services and pressure relieving mattresses, as well as repair, maintenance and preventative maintenance services.
    • Pressure Area care is a top priority for acute, community and social care providers. Pressure ulcers, for example, as a result of mismanagement of patients, remains a significant problem in the health and care sectors. Despite progress in the management of pressure ulcers, more than 1,300 new ulcers are reported across the NHS each month, with up to 200,000 people developing a new pressure ulcer in 2017/2018. Treating pressure ulcers costs the NHS more than £1.4 million every day.
    • Preventing health issues associated with pressure (such as pressure ulcers) can significantly impact patient wellbeing and is a key indicator of the quality and experience of care.
  • Safe Patient Handling Award Summary
    • Designed to support the transport and safe movement of patients in a hospital, residential or home environment – including manual handling, hoists and patient lifts, bathing equipment as well as safe patient moving and handling managed services.
    • Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSK’s), including manual handling injuries, are the most common type of occupational ill health in the UK. Back pain and other MSK’s account for approximately 40% of all sickness absence in the NHS. This is a significant cost to the NHS both in terms of staff sickness and loss of staff to carry out day to day activities across facilities. The cost of treating MSK’s is also significant and can be reduced through appropriate training and providing necessary equipment to safely undertake patient moving and handling.
    • Employers have a responsibility to have in place mitigations that prevent staff from suffering such injuries, such as by providing proper equipment to undertake activities, as well as take care to train staff in undertaking activities in a safe way. This Framework equips a range of organisations in the ICS to do this.
  • Workplace Supply Solutions Award Summary
    • The Workplace Supply Solutions Award Summary has been designed to support the procurement of workplace products and services across all public sector Participating Authorities.
    • This Framework supports administration and other associated services not only across both health and care providers, but also other members included in an ICS such as the Local Authority. It offers a wide and diverse range of products, including office supplies, green products, PPE, white goods and education supplies.
    • In the current context of COVID-19, innovations included in this Framework such as the introduction of Antimicrobial Film which kills 99.9% of bacteria and microbes, help to support COVID-compliant procedures across organisations within an ICS.

Fundamentally, these Frameworks and Contract Award Summaries have been designed to be used in acute and/or community settings, enabling them to support ICS’s with the delivery of better public health and community health outcomes. Representing a broad range of products and services to support the delivery of exceptional care, each Framework also includes free training and support available from contracted suppliers, helping a wide range of staff working across health and care to be fully equipped with the skills and knowledge needed to support members of their community.

Each of these service offerings provide users with access to a full suite of products and services for a specific focus area, whilst enabling a maximum efficiency procurement process. By offering one centralised Framework offering a scope of products and services, rather than several, for a specific focus area, providers are able to access everything they need from one supplier. This supports the streamlining of care, by making the whole procurement process simpler and more effective.

HealthTrust Europe has selected these particular service offerings by identifying some of the biggest challenges and issues currently facing the health and care sectors across local communities in the UK, and looks forward to continuing work with existing partners to support the greater integration of health and care as ICS’s progress.

Furthermore, HealthTrust Europe has recently introduced a more straightforward way to gain access to these and a wider portfolio of Frameworks, though the introduction of a Single Order Form, further reducing the administrative burden.

If you are interested in the products and services that HealthTrust Europe has included in this scope of work, or if you feel that your organisation and/or ICS would benefit from any of these Frameworks, please get in touch with our dedicated customer care team via customercare@htepg.com or 0845 887 5000.

The Urgency for Improvements to Bariatric Care

The obesity crisis remains one of the most pressing public health challenges in the UK. Recently published figures reveal that two-thirds of all adults are overweight or obese while new findings released by the NHS show that obesity was a factor in more than one million hospital admissions in 2019/20. Indeed, with the Covid-19 pandemic brutally exposing the high risk of serious illness and death that those with obesity face, it is now more important than ever that the focus is firmly placed on the care and supervision of overweight and obese individuals.

Paired with the burden of an ageing population, the pressure on care homes to develop tools that address the obesity endemic and accommodate an increasingly overweight resident population has never been greater. Yet while the Government does appear to be taking this issue seriously – recently publishing its strategy to put in place support for people living with obesity – many on the frontline lack the equipment they need to properly manage and care for their larger, older residents: a 2019 survey of almost 3,000 care homeowners, managers and staff showed that only 41 per cent of homes have the adequate bariatric facilities required to look after obese residents, with a further 12 per cent having to turn people away due to a lack of resources and bariatric equipment. A recent briefing by the King’s Fund focused on how the NHS can work with local partners and engage with communities to deliver targeted interventions to treat and prevent obesity.

Vice President of Strategic Sourcing at HealthTrust Europe (HTE), Nanette Grant, notes the importance of connecting healthcare providers with market-leading supplier communities to source high-quality items – including bariatric beds – to meet the needs of patients and improve patient care; “everything we do is driven by the care and improvement of human life; our offering for these specialised items reflects the evolving needs of society and supports our customers with the continued delivery of high-quality patient care.”

As the proportion of adults living with obesity continues to rise exponentially, the urgent need for care homes to be suitably prepared is showing no sign of slowing. Indeed, it is vital that the care sector is able to look after bariatric residents and patients, with specialist beds, equipment and training at the forefront of this provision.

Often, incorrect patient handling not only negatively impacts the patient, but can also result in staff incurring injuries. Bariatric equipment is uniquely designed to support overweight individuals, featuring increased weight capacities, heavy duty supports and wider widths to meet their needs. In addition to protecting residents and safeguarding their dignity, this specialised equipment protects staff and care workers from strain or injury. For instance, electrically operated profiling beds, capable of safely raising, lowering and adjusting the position of bariatric patients weighing up to 50 stone, do not require physical efforts and therefore, reduce the risk of back injuries (or more seriously, musculoskeletal disorders) which are often associated with heavy lifting to further minimise this risk, training programmes to increase awareness of correct posture, movement and equipment use can greatly benefit the overall health of staff and reduce staff sickness absence.

Yet the benefits of specialised equipment and training extend beyond just the physical movement of patients. People with obesity often require careful management of their skin, given their susceptibility to pressure ulcers, bed sores, wounds and other skin infections which can be exacerbated by ill-fitted equipment. Bariatric beds and chairs have, therefore, been designed to make moving and handling easier for staff and patients and are wide enough so that patients can ensure their own comfort. Some models even offer specialist pressure reducing mattresses with isolated air cushions that can be inflated and deflated while the addition of anti-microbial fabric protection protects against the development of bacteria that can cause skin infections and discomfort.

Bariatric beds, mattresses and cushions can be purchased via our Pressure Area Care Equipment, Medical Beds and Related Services framework. The framework provides a comprehensive range of products and services for use within long term care, home care/community and the acute care covering ad-hoc rental, long term rental, capital purchase and services such as decontamination, repair/maintenance, clinical support and disposal.

Our Safe Patient Moving and Handling Equipment Framework further supports and facilitates the appropriate movement of patients in a Hospital, Residential or Patient Home Environment. It is designed to equip health and social care providers with the latest tools to enhance the safety of patient handling.

If you are interested in finding out more about our Frameworks for supporting Bariatric Care and Safe Patient Handling, you can speak to our dedicated customer care team via 0845 887 5000 or customercare@htepg.com.

Guest Speaker Kieran Quinlan delivers an empowering talk to employees as part of Mental Health Awareness Week.

Anxiety, stress, and worry are emotions many of us may have felt over the last 12 months. With employees having to adapt to significant changes, including working from home, home-schooling and social restrictions, the importance of mental health in the workplace has never been so important.

This week marks Mental Health Awareness Week which serves to raise awareness about mental health and stand up against stigma and negative stereotypes. As part of this, Kieran Quinlan, a transformation coach and owner of the Pit Gym, delivered a talk to HealthTrust Europe colleagues, sharing his powerful story and providing hints and tips on supporting good mental health through diet and exercise.

Kieran was the victim of a vicious knife attack at the age of 17, whereby he was given a one-percentage chance of survival and his heart stopped three times on the operating table. Whilst recovery was a difficult path which affected Kieran’s physical and mental health, he channelled his energy and passion into the world of bodybuilding and soon became an influential anti-knife crime ambassador, regularly giving school lectures about the perils of knife crime.

Through hard work and adopting a positive mindset, Kieran then went on to open his own fitness centre based in Birmingham city centre, which has transformed the bodies and minds of thousands of clients across the UK over the last 8 years.

Dale Robinson, HealthTrust Europe Chief Operating Officer said:

“We would like to thank Kieran for having the courage to share his story and using his experience of mental health difficulties to inspire others. With one in four people experiencing mental health problems in England, paying attention to mental health in the workplace has never been so important, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic.”

“We have implemented a series of measures at HealthTrust Europe to support our colleague’s wellbeing during these unprecedented times, such as a ‘work-free’ zone on Microsoft Teams where amusing content can be shared and virtual quizzes to maintain social interaction. We will continue to do all we can to ensure employee’s feel happy and healthy at work.”

HealthTrust Europe launches Safe Patient Moving and Handling Equipment Framework

HealthTrust Europe is pleased to launch the new Safe Patient Moving and Handling Equipment Framework to support and facilitate the appropriate movement of patients in a Hospital, Residential or Patient Home Environment. It is designed to equip health and social care providers with the latest tools to enhance the safety of patient handling.

The Framework is split into four distinct Lots – Manual Handling and Transfer Equipment; Hoists and Patient Lifts; Bathing Equipment; and Safe Patient Moving and Handling Managed Service. Each Lot is comprised of specialised solutions to support health and social care organisations in improving their current output across these services. All solutions are provided by market-leading organisations and can be tailored to your organisation’s needs. They are also cost-controlled – meaning you have access to market-leading solutions suited to your budgets.

The Framework uniquely benefits our customers by providing Total Managed Service Solutions (under Lot 4), acting as a ‘one-stop-shop’ for a suite of modules including asset management, Ergonomic consultancy for re-design, refurbishments, and new builds. Our suppliers can support with the implementation of new services that ensure the continuity of care is provided to patients.

Often, incorrect patient handling not only negatively impacts the patient, but can also result in staff incurring injuries. To minimise this risk, training programmes to increase awareness of correct posture, movement and equipment use could be arranged, aimed at improving the overall health of staff and reducing staff sickness absence. We offer skilled resources that complement and support your own internal training programmes.

Like all HealthTrust Europe Frameworks, customers will have exclusive access to an expert team from contracted suppliers who can guide you through the process from beginning to end. Our trusted suppliers can provide guidance and expertise on how to utilise equipment effectively and advice on the solutions that would enable your organisation to achieve your goals.

Customers will further benefit from skilled resources to support CPD accredited training. Ergonomic and Mobility Risk Assessments for Care Environments are also available for customers to optimise space and use of equipment. The Framework offers a compliant route-to-market for these services, aligned with Directive and International Standards.

Please contact our dedicated customer care team by emailing customercare@htepg.com or calling 0845 887 5000 to request access or further information. Our expert team is on-hand to deal with your questions.

 

HealthTrust Europe launches Total Workforce Solutions II Framework

HealthTrust Europe has launched its latest Framework Agreement to support health and care organisations to source the latest innovations in workforce solutions. Launched on the 1st February 2021, Total Workforce Solutions II (TWS II) directly supersedes the existing Total Workforce Solutions portfolio (TWS I) , enhancing the offering with a range of additional benefits.

The Framework is available on a free to access basis for NHS, wider public sector and care providers across the UK, offering the latest in workforce planning technology, apps, bank, agency and other associated workforce solutions.

Please click here to access the list of TWS II categories alongside the existing TWS I portfolio.

TWS II builds on the excellent services previously offered in TWS I I, renewing the framework’s NHSE&I approval (NHS approved agency framework) with a detailed tendering process that has robustly tested the capacity, capability, quality and price criteria of awarded suppliers for best value. This means that NHSE&I has reviewed our Framework application and agreed that it aligns to regulatory requirements, in support of national initiatives such as the NHS People Plan, off framework removal and enhancing international recruitment.

The expanded scope of TWS II has been designed with healthcare providers at its core, with our customers and healthcare partners in mind – incorporating several years of stakeholder feedback to deliver enhanced terms, drive better value, and offer access to the latest supply chain innovations. Our commitment is to improve the quality of care for the betterment of human life, and our enhanced Framework helps us to equip healthcare organisations to achieve that goal with controls, processes and solutions that maximise successful outcomes.

TWS II also helps to provide our partners with assurance on the highest standards of quality, audit, data protection, fill rates and a total spend management approach for controls on workforce expenditure – ensuring our customers are able to operate within their budgets whilst delivering the highest possible quality of care.

Providers can register for access to TWS II via our Partnership Portal, offering a ‘self-serve’ access option for agency staffing services through our new digital access platform. We hope that this will further support providers with coverage and on demand, compliant framework supply.

If you have any other questions and would like to speak directly to one of our dedicated customer service team members, you can contact us via workforce@htepg.com or if you would like to sign up to one or more lots of TWS II, please visit the Partnership Portal linked above to register and call-off.

HealthTrust Europe votes Cancer Research UK as its 2021 charity

HealthTrust Europe is delighted to announce Cancer Research UK, the UK’s leading cancer research and awareness charity, as its 2021 charity of choice. As part of HealthTrust Europe’s commitment to the care and improvement of human life, every year its employees select a charity to support from a shortlist. Despite the coronavirus pandemic, employees embraced the virtual fundraising environment for last year’s chosen charity, Alzheimer’s Society, exceeding their £5000 target by 38%. They will now look forward to continuing fundraising activities and awareness campaigns for Cancer Research UK.

Currently, 2 in 4 people who have cancer survive it and Cancer Research UK’s ambition is to accelerate this to 3 in 4 people within the next 20 years. This will be achieved through key areas of research which include preventing cancer through education, detecting cancer through early diagnosis, treating cancer patients through the development of new treatments, and to optimize by making current treatments more effective.

In the year 2019/2020, Cancer Research UK funded research worth £455 million pounds in almost every aspect of cancer through a variety of mechanisms, from supporting infrastructure, including world-class research institutes to providing grants for projects and training fellowships. Despite the impact of the coronavirus pandemic last year, prominent advances were made in cancer research last year and so uniting to beat cancer has never been more important.

Dale Robinson, HealthTrust Europe Chief Operating Officer, said: “We are delighted to announce Cancer Research UK as our 2021 charity choice. Cancer Research UK are at the heart of progress in medical and scientific cancer research and its thanks to this vital research that survival rates for cancer in the UK have doubled in the last 40 years. Last year, we raised £7,375 for Alzheimer’s Society and I have no doubt that our employees will continue to go to great lengths to support this fantastic cause.”

Jayme Shepherd, Local Fundraising Manager for Cancer Research UK, said: “We are absolutely delighted that HealthTrust Europe has chosen Cancer Research UK as their Charity Partner for 2021 and we look forward to working with them and supporting them in their fundraising.

“Cancer Research UK relies on the generosity of the public to fund its lifesaving research and it needs support more now than ever, so funds raised through supporters like HealthTrust Europe and their customers are crucial to the work of doctors, nurses and scientists who work day and night to fight cancer on all fronts.

“Our vision is to bring forward the day when all cancers are cured, and together we will beat cancer.”

HealthTrust Europe Staff Exceed Annual Charity Target for Alzheimer’s Society by Thousands

Employees at HealthTrust Europe have raised an impressive £7,375 for 2020 annual chosen charity Alzheimer’s Society – exceeding the £5,000 target set out at the start of last year.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, employees were unable to fundraise using traditional methods such as dress down office days or taking part in half marathons. Instead, they devised a variety of creative but safe activities to raise money whilst working from home.

Activities that were undertaken throughout 2020 included virtual bingo, quizzes, Christmas raffles and ‘Challenge Thursdays’, which entailed staff members being nominated to complete viral Tik Tok challenges which were recorded and shared internally for all colleagues to enjoy.

In the absence of the fun runs and obstacle courses that staff would normally sign up for, the team designed their version of “Jog on Dementia” in August. Colleagues formed small teams and set weekly running targets, encouraging healthy competition. Participants ran a whopping 1,167 miles and raised almost £900, with the winning team running an impressive 300 miles!

Ian Hadridge, HealthTrust Europe’s Vice President, also “Braved the Shave”, agreeing to shave off his hair during the company’s Halloween celebrations. This was live streamed to colleagues and raised more than £700.

Dale Robinson, HealthTrust Europe’s Chief Operating Officer, said:

“I am blown away by the dedication of our staff members this year. The amount of money that has been raised for this incredible charity, despite the challenging circumstances that everyone has faced during this pandemic, shows the astounding kindness of our colleagues and their family and friends in support of this important cause.”

“At HealthTrust Europe we always say that we are committed to the care and improvement of human life. Everyone’s efforts to raise money for Alzheimer’s Society demonstrates just how committed we all are to fulfilling this ambition, and we are thrilled to have exceeded our target amount.”

Ryan Stanley, Community Fundraiser at Alzheimer’s Society, said:

“We are extremely grateful to HealthTrust Europe for their amazing fundraising efforts over what has been a very challenging 12 months. They have truly embraced the virtual fundraising environment we have found ourselves in and we are very impressed with their innovative fundraising ideas such as the weekly TikTok challenges.”

“The funds they have raised will enable us in our fight against Dementia, from our telephone services such as Dementia Connect and our volunteer-led Companion Calls, our ongoing research projects and our continuing work campaigning with local and national government for policy change, we will make sure nobody has to face dementia alone.”

The virtual charity cheque handover for Alzheimer’s Society took place on Wednesday 27th January, when Dale Robinson presented the cheque totalling £7,375 to Ryan Stanley, a community fundraiser from Alzheimer’s Society. Staff now look forward to continuing innovative fundraising for their new 2021 chosen charity, which will be announced shortly.

Staffing Through the COVID-19 Pandemic: How Total Workforce Solutions Can Support Your Organisation

The Healthcare sector is coming to terms with the reality that a second wave of COVID-19 is upon us. The second wave brings with it new challenges; including the potential compound impact of the second wave during the harsh winter months, the struggle to access vital COVID-19 tests as we continue to see a rise in demand, and most crucially, whether the health service has enough staff to care for the rising number of COVID-19 patients.

In recent weeks, huge staff shortages have been reported across the NHS for a wide range of reasons. A lack of COVID-19 tests for children, for example, is preventing NHS worker parents from going into the workplace as their children are forced to isolate at home and not attend school; mass delays to the immigration Visa system is reportedly preventing ‘hundreds’ of vital staff from overseas taking up roles across the country; and the backlog of health treatments built up during the first wave of the virus has had an unprecedented impact on NHS capacity, resulting in the urgent need for more staff to prevent the backlog from growing even further. These factors, compounded with the obvious challenges of the second wave including staff self-isolation and illness, result in huge uncertainties over the ability of the NHS to maintain adequate staffing capacity.

How can the sector prepare for these challenges?

Earlier this year during the first wave of COVID-19, we expanded our Total Workforce Solutions Framework to support healthcare organisations with staffing throughout the pandemic. Our comprehensive Framework has been designed to further bolster staffing capabilities for our customers, and we are able to offer these solutions to other public and private organisations to support with staffing capacity during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

One of the key changes made to our existing TWS Framework was the shift towards digitalisation and the widened use of video-hosted technology. Video technology has been critical during the first wave of the virus for two main reasons. Firstly, it has allowed the healthcare sector to continue recruiting new staff using secure video conferencing, ensuring the safety of staff and prospective new staff as well as speeding up the recruitment process and enabling more staff to be recruited in the same amount of time. Secondly, video-hosted technology has increased staff capacity through the wider use of virtual wards and consultations. Vital frontline workers now spend less time travelling in between patients, and they are able to undertake appointments anywhere, anytime, meaning staff have increased capacity and experience less stress from high demand.

The amended TWS Framework also includes the introduction of ‘Surge Staffing’ which allows customers in the health sector to access stronger supply chains of agency workers in the face of staff shortages. Agency staff can be sourced quickly and efficiently through our surge solutions, ensuring organisations have a steady flow of high-level agency workers permeating through the sector to tackle staff shortages. Agency staff sourced through surge solutions can be implemented for short, medium or long-term requirements to support with patient care. In these challenging times, we understand that finances are tough, and that is why our surge staffing solutions also ensure that agency workers supplied to your organisation are costed to align with your budgets, so you are always on top of your finances.

How to access the Framework

If your organisation is interested in bolstering your workforce during the second wave of COVID-19 and you want to find out more about how the TWS Framework can support you with the challenges ahead, you can speak to our expert team by emailing workforce@htepg.com. Our dedicated customer team is available to deal with any queries regarding staffing and recruitment. We are committed to supporting organisations during these challenging and unprecedented times, ensuring our customers are able to continue providing the best level of patient care at the best possible price.