NEWS
NHS efficiency review points to waste in staff costs and rostering By Jennifer Sprinks
@JenniferSprinks
Hospitals in England could save billions of pounds through better workforce planning and improved management of staff, rotas and shifts, according to an independent review of NHS productivity. Lord Carter’s interim report, commissioned by the Department of Health, says the NHS could save up to £5 billion every year from 2020 by making better use of staff, using medicines more effectively and getting better value when buying products. The review found there may not be adequate nurses to meet the ‘post-Francis demands’ of the NHS and that there is inequality in how nurses are used, with many nurses working beyond their contracted hours.
system and the NHS needs to increase its supply.’ He welcomed the report’s focus on adequate pay for bank staff, adding: ‘If we pay substantive staff overtime rates it may dissuade them from agency work. That would be a good boost to morale for staff, improve productivity and lead to cuts in agency spending.’ The report says £2 billion could be saved by improving workflow and being efficient with workforce costs. This includes having a ‘stronger grip’ on rotas, shifts, annual leave, sickness absence and training. A further £3 billion could be saved by procuring better-value medicines and
matching them more closely to patients’ needs and by reducing cleaning, energy and laundry costs, it claims. The report says the lack of quality data and the absence of metrics to measure relative performance are obstacles to productivity. Lord Carter recommends using a tailored ‘efficiency checklist’ that he developed with the 22 hospitals. He said: ‘The challenge is to lift efficiency to a consistently high standard in every area of every NHS hospital and, where we already perform well, innovate to improve.’ Read the report at tinyurl.com/ppgdp7f See letters page 32
Better planning
Nurses were found to be burdened with administration, for example by having to deal with supplies issues that could be addressed through better procurement. The Labour peer also found trusts were both over and under-rostering – on many days there are not enough nurses, while on others there are more staff than are required by the patient count. The findings are based on data collected from rosters in every ward at 22 hospitals in February. Lord Carter’s report adds that bank nurses need to be paid better rates to deter them from joining agencies, where they are paid more. RCN head of policy Howard Catton said: ‘It is good Lord Carter does not duck the root cause of staffing issues. While there is scope to improve nurse workforce planning, there are not enough nurses in the
DAVID PAYS TRIBUTE TO HIS LIFESAVERS Five nurses have won a lifesaving award after resuscitating a man who collapsed outside their hospital. One of the first at the scene to help David Doherty outside Royal Lancaster Infirmary was deputy chief nurse Joann Morse, joined by nursing colleagues Alison Scott, Louise Brown, Lyn Lawrenson and Theresa O’Brien. The group received the North West
Ambulance Service Life Saver Award, given to people who make outstanding efforts to save someone in cardiac arrest. Mr Doherty said: ‘Without a shadow of doubt I would not be alive today if it wasn’t for the nurse who saved my life outside the hospital.’ Pictured from left are Ms Lawrenson, Ms Morse, Mr Doherty, Ms Scott and Ms Brown.
NURSING STANDARD juneNo17other :: voluses 29without no 42 ::permission. 2015 9 Downloaded from RCNi.com by ${individualUser.displayName} on Dec 01, 2015. For personal use only. Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
NHS efficiency review points to waste in staff costs and rostering By Jennifer Sprinks
@JenniferSprinks
Hospitals in England could save billions of pounds through better workforce planning and improved management of staff, rotas and shifts, according to an independent review of NHS productivity. Lord Carter’s interim report, commissioned by the Department of Health, says the NHS could save up to £5 billion every year from 2020 by making better use of staff, using medicines more effectively and getting better value when buying products. The review found there may not be adequate nurses to meet the ‘post-Francis demands’ of the NHS and that there is inequality in how nurses are used, with many nurses working beyond their contracted hours.
system and the NHS needs to increase its supply.’ He welcomed the report’s focus on adequate pay for bank staff, adding: ‘If we pay substantive staff overtime rates it may dissuade them from agency work. That would be a good boost to morale for staff, improve productivity and lead to cuts in agency spending.’ The report says £2 billion could be saved by improving workflow and being efficient with workforce costs. This includes having a ‘stronger grip’ on rotas, shifts, annual leave, sickness absence and training. A further £3 billion could be saved by procuring better-value medicines and
matching them more closely to patients’ needs and by reducing cleaning, energy and laundry costs, it claims. The report says the lack of quality data and the absence of metrics to measure relative performance are obstacles to productivity. Lord Carter recommends using a tailored ‘efficiency checklist’ that he developed with the 22 hospitals. He said: ‘The challenge is to lift efficiency to a consistently high standard in every area of every NHS hospital and, where we already perform well, innovate to improve.’ Read the report at tinyurl.com/ppgdp7f See letters page 32
Better planning
Nurses were found to be burdened with administration, for example by having to deal with supplies issues that could be addressed through better procurement. The Labour peer also found trusts were both over and under-rostering – on many days there are not enough nurses, while on others there are more staff than are required by the patient count. The findings are based on data collected from rosters in every ward at 22 hospitals in February. Lord Carter’s report adds that bank nurses need to be paid better rates to deter them from joining agencies, where they are paid more. RCN head of policy Howard Catton said: ‘It is good Lord Carter does not duck the root cause of staffing issues. While there is scope to improve nurse workforce planning, there are not enough nurses in the
DAVID PAYS TRIBUTE TO HIS LIFESAVERS Five nurses have won a lifesaving award after resuscitating a man who collapsed outside their hospital. One of the first at the scene to help David Doherty outside Royal Lancaster Infirmary was deputy chief nurse Joann Morse, joined by nursing colleagues Alison Scott, Louise Brown, Lyn Lawrenson and Theresa O’Brien. The group received the North West
Ambulance Service Life Saver Award, given to people who make outstanding efforts to save someone in cardiac arrest. Mr Doherty said: ‘Without a shadow of doubt I would not be alive today if it wasn’t for the nurse who saved my life outside the hospital.’ Pictured from left are Ms Lawrenson, Ms Morse, Mr Doherty, Ms Scott and Ms Brown.
NURSING STANDARD juneNo17other :: voluses 29without no 42 ::permission. 2015 9 Downloaded from RCNi.com by ${individualUser.displayName} on Dec 01, 2015. For personal use only. Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
