News
Devon NHS Trust rolls out erostering and automated time and
attendance system
11 February 2010
Devon Partnership NHS Trust is rolling out an electronic
rostering and automated time and attendance system from Smart at
inpatient units across north Devon.
The initial rollout covers approximately 100 staff working at four
inpatient units in North Devon. Subsequent phases will cover a further
580 staff in the remaining 20 inpatient units spread across the county,
followed by community clinical staff, administration and management,
totalling approximately 2,000 employees in all.
When fully implemented the system will help ensure that the appropriate
skill mix and establishment levels are maintained at all times,
protecting the Trust and the people who use its services from
understaffing. It will also minimise the need to use more expensive
staff bank hours or agency staff and will provide more sociable rosters
for staff, enabling them to manage a better work/life balance, which in
turn is likely to lead to lower absence rates.
The system is web-based, which reduces the IT support overhead, and
integration with the Trust’s Electronic Staff Record and payroll
software avoids duplication of data in either system. It will also
provide Trust staff and management with easy access to workforce
information, improved payroll accuracy, and will help the Trust to
comply with the Working Time Directive.
Kerrie Rudge, Project Manager at Devon Partnership NHS Trust for the
implementation of the system commented, “Smart were able to meet all our
requirements for erostering and time and attendance, and are able to
supply a range of additional modules such as Staff Bank Administration,
biometric readers and a telephone interface system for lone workers,
which we can add to the system as required.
"Smart supplied positive references and evidence of other successful
implementations across a variety of NHS organisations. In addition, by
taking the hosted system option, we have reduced the upfront investment
required."
Tristan Spencer, Health Market Director at Smart said: “Staff are one
of the most valued assets and also one of the largest costs in providing
health care services. While it is vital that staff are deployed in the
most effective manner to provide the best possible levels of care, it is
equally important to ensure that those staff are looked after as well as
possible to keep morale high. Smart systems are designed to provide the
best of both worlds. By providing well planned, sociable rosters with a
level of flexibility staff are able to plan their lives around work
which reduces absence, and it ensures that appropriate skill levels are
maintained so that services to patients are optimised.”
|