Locum’s Nest confirmed to provide 72% saving on agency worker spend for NHS Trusts

Today, an independent study released by official NHS body, The Kent Surrey and Sussex Academic Health Science Network (KSS AHSN) reveals Locum’s Nest, a digital platform which maximizes workforce, would provide a 72% saving on agency spend for NHS Trusts.

The research shows that every £1 invested into Locum’s Nest would give the Trust an immediate ROI of £3.55 - a 72% saving. With the NHS’s current total locum spend at approx £2.4bn, the total saving would therefore be approximately £1.73bn.

The sample of eight Trusts studied and analyzed over a period of six months were of varying sizes situated across the country, covering almost 50% of South England. This representative sample indicates these savings could be replicated across the health service as Locum’s Nest grows.

The real-world economic analysis study measured key metrics including time saved, headcounts of employees as well as absolute agency spend reduction when reaching their ROI conclusions.

We have long known the positive effects our collaborative ways of working can have on NHS Trusts across the UK. Today’s study allows us to put an external, quantitative and qualitative backing to these savings that we’d expected, but now know. The NHS could save almost £2bn simply by switching from expensive agencies to Locum’s Nest. We are an ethical company founded by healthcare professionals to help healthcare professionals, and we truly believe that these savings can help not just workers by maximizing staff available, but those who are within hospitals filling rotas and, most importantly, ensure patient care is optimized. We are already active in 30 Trusts across the UK and we are constantly expanding our services. We hope this new research will demonstrate to the NHS that when the right technology innovation is implemented, healthcare professionals are empowered as they are able to work in a safe and flexible culture.”

Dr Nicholas Andreou, Co-Founder Locum’s Nest

Amongst other findings, the digital platform has been proven to decrease the time it takes to list and upload a vacant shift for clinicians, from 21.25 minutes to 2.76.

A staggering 93.10% of healthcare professionals using the app would recommend it to other clinicians, and 100% hospital staff respondents selected they would recommend Locum’s Nest to administrative colleagues.

Traditionally rota coordinators will fill vacant shifts by phoning, e-mailing or paging clinicians through their own list of known temporary workers, a ‘staff bank’. Through the implementation of Locum’s Nest Digital Staff Bank, which covers a population of 5 million, Trust’s individual banks grew by more than 192%. This allows more temporary staff to access more shifts, apply, be accepted and paid, all within a timely manner.

This study comes as the NHS Long Term Plan acknowledges workforce as a contemporary and future area of risk, and is encouraging the increased use of new technology and the digitalization of the current processes.

Using new technological and electronic resources such as Locum’s Nest alleviates the pressure on health services and staffing, can be more efficient and has the potential to impact a far greater number of patients.