Hertfordshire and West Essex ICB has launched a workforce planning dashboard, developed as a collaboration across all five of its trust providers.
The dashboard, named Qlik Cloud, offers system-wide insights across the workforce, enabling users to compare data across staff groups, roles, sickness, vacancies, equality metrics, and financial costs.
Key features include centralised data access, advanced analytics, and a user-friendly interface, which the ICB reports will offer “a clearer picture” of the healthcare workforce, and new opportunities for collaboration with partners and providers. Data from the dashboard can also be used to inform the development of skills-based workforce plans.
Some of the early feedback around its implementation highlights the benefits of being able to view the whole system from a single platform. A quote from the project highlights the potential expansion to cover more areas such as primary care workforce data.
NHS Hertfordshire and West Essex ICB also recently awarded a contract to health tech supplier eConsult Health, for the provision of a digital consultation tool to be used throughout GP practices within the region. By using the online or video consultations tool, the ICB hopes to “meet the digital pathways capabilities that support modernising general practice”.
In a recent update the ICB identified several opportunities for improving digital and remote monitoring as part of their Hospital at Home service. This includes a virtual assistant AI tool, reportedly being considered to support the workforce, with a business case being prepared to “ensure further progress and sign up”.
Wider trend: NHS workforce transformation
For a HTN Now panel discussion, we were joined by expert panellists including Dr Penny Kechagioglou, CCIO and deputy CMO at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust (UHCW); Stuart Dures, digital skills development manager at Greater Manchester Mental Health (GMMH); Dan Chilcott, client enablement director at Patchwork Health; and Sally Mole, senior digital programme manager – digital portfolio delivery team at The Dudley Group. Our panellists considered some of the key determinants of successful NHS workforce transformation, looking at how best to drive buy-in and support the workforce, and noting challenges and barriers to transformation.
Earlier this year, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust opened a market engagement exercise for the procurement of a “suite of workforce management solutions” to be used across multiple trusts within the region. This includes exploring e-rostering for staff scheduling, a bank and agency booking platform for temporary staffing, a digital platform to support job planning and a rota design and compliance system. According to the trust, adding these solutions will reportedly “support seamless workforce coordination, enhance efficiency, and drive improvements in service delivery” while also helping to ensure “high-quality patient care”.
Ramsay Health Care UK has implemented RLDatix’s Loop workforce app as part of its workforce evolution project. Ramsay Health Care UK’s head of talent acquisition and HR systems, Kevin Feely, welcomed the “significant milestone” in the company’s workforce programme, praising the “exceptional rostering and project team”, and promising further updates on progress.
