The NHS worked closely with Beyond to leverage the power of AI and Data Science to deliver data driven advantages to workforce management and healthcare.
£156 million
Projected annual revenue growth by optimizing member utilization.
3 million
incremental hours per month, significantly increasing the capacity to meet healthcare demands and reducing the need for external staffing resources.
10%
increase in member engagement and activation resulting in an additional £84 million in savings.
About NHS Professionals
NHS Professionals is the largest NHS staff bank in the UK, specializing in providing temporary staff to the National Health Service. Owned by the Department of Health and Social Care, it reinvests its surplus back into healthcare.
Formed in 2001, NHSP has grown to serve over 50 client Trusts with more than 180,000 registered healthcare professionals. These professionals, known as 'Bank Members', cover a broad range of roles including nursing, midwifery, doctors, and non-clinical positions, working to NHS-assured standards.
NHSP is notable for its significant contributions during the COVID-19 pandemic, recruiting 20,000 workers nationally in response to the crisis. Its operations, guided by a dedication to the NHS's vision, aim to provide cost-effective staffing solutions, support service improvements, and generate savings for the healthcare system
Transforming NHS Workforce Management
In the face of growing healthcare demands and a constrained supply of healthcare professionals, NHS Professionals (NHSP) and Beyond embarked on a strategic journey to redefine workforce solutions. With a robust membership of 180,000 healthcare professionals and serving over 50 NHS Trusts, NHSP leverages its extensive data resources and analytics capabilities to navigate the complexities of healthcare staffing efficiently.
Facing the dual challenge of an aging population and policy-driven workforce limitations, NHSP's collaboration with Beyond focuses on harnessing data to drive strategic decision-making, optimize shift allocations, and significantly reduce reliance on costly external staffing agencies.
This partnership aims to elevate NHS workforce management to new heights of efficiency and cost-effectiveness, ensuring a resilient and responsive healthcare service for the future.
Navigating NHSP’s challenges
NHS Professionals faces a multifaceted challenge in staffing the NHS efficiently. The critical issues include:
Supply Shortages
Brexit-related immigration policies, coupled with high attrition rates among local healthcare professionals, have exacerbated workforce shortages, creating significant staffing gaps.
Cost Pressures
The high cost of sourcing staff through external agencies, often more than double the cost of internal solutions, places substantial financial strain on NHS resources, impacting budgetary allocations and operational efficiency.
Operational Inefficiencies
Challenges in data trustworthiness and system complexity hinder effective decision-making. This is compounded by inadequate dashboard designs and insufficient data governance, which together lead to inefficient operational practices and a lack of actionable insights from existing data.
Building their data strategy
We embarked on a pivotal journey to redefine their approach to data and analytics. Our first step was a comprehensive analysis to identify the existing challenges and gaps within their data management and utilisation processes. This groundwork laid the foundation for targeted improvements, focusing on quick wins and long-term strategic goals.
We then devised a robust data strategy encompassing a new operating model and governance framework. This strategy was designed to enhance data flow, improve decision-making, and ensure data security and quality. Alongside, we assessed the current technology infrastructure and architecture, identifying key areas for enhancement to support NHSP's ambitious goals.
The culmination of our efforts was a detailed roadmap, guiding the implementation of these strategic initiatives.
Demand and Supply Forecasting
Our journey with NHS Professionals transitioned from crafting a comprehensive data strategy to becoming their long-term strategic partners. A testament to this evolving partnership was our first major deliverable: the development of a demand and supply forecasting tool.
This tool was pivotal, designed to address one of NHS Professionals' most pressing needs—optimising workforce management.
We introduced a cutting-edge demand and supply forecasting tool, leveraging advanced analytics to predict staffing requirements with precision.
This solution enabled NHS Professionals to anticipate demand fluctuations and supply constraints, ensuring the right healthcare professionals were available where and when needed, thus maximising efficiency and reducing reliance on costly external agencies.
£156 million
Projected annual revenue growth by optimizing member utilization.
3 million
incremental hours per month, significantly increasing the capacity to meet healthcare demands and reducing the need for external staffing resources.
10%
increase in member engagement and activation resulting in an additional £84 million in savings.
Building a Future-Ready Data Infrastructure
In response to NHS Professionals' evolving business requirements and the challenges posed by legacy systems, a comprehensive overhaul of their data infrastructure was essential.
Our solution? An advanced data lakehouse architecture, meticulously constructed on Microsoft Azure using MS Fabric.
This state-of-the-art data lakehouse is engineered to centralize diverse data sources, streamline data management, and unlock actionable insights. By simplifying access to integrated data, we've empowered NHSP with enhanced decision-making capabilities and operational efficiency.
Incentives Analytics: Driving Strategic Decisions
In our continued efforts to support NHSP in optimising workforce management, we've implemented advanced analytics to measure and quantify the effects of various incentive strategies on staff engagement and fill rates across different Trusts.
By identifying trends, patterns, and the specific effects of implementing incentives at particular Trusts, we empower NHSP with actionable insights.
This includes analysing the lag time for incentives to take effect and the residual period before fill rates normalise after incentives are removed, ensuring optimal timing and application of incentive programs.
“By embracing Agile principles and DevOps, paired with the development of a comprehensive documentation repository, Beyond has revolutionised the way our data teams' function, bringing unprecedented visibility, business continuity, and transferability.”
Director of IT - NHSP
Managed Service Excellence
Our over 3-year long journey with NHS Professionals matured and evolved into a comprehensive managed service relationship. In this role, we've taken the helm as their complete data engineering, data science & AI Solutions, and data reporting and BI teams. This strategic shift underscores our commitment to supporting NHSP's journey towards becoming a mature data-centric organisation.
As NHSP's strategic partner, we now support the entirety of their business operations with a focus on leveraging data for strategic decision-making. Our teams work seamlessly with NHSP to ensure data is not just collected but also effectively analysed and utilized, driving improvements across all facets of the organization.
We're integral to their mission - helping NHSP navigate the complexities of healthcare staffing with data-driven confidence and clarity.
73%
requests fulfilled within a week
5.5x
faster BaU requests fulfilled
500+
unique stakeholders served and resolved more than 3,600 diverse requests
“Our partnership with Beyond has been instrumental in transforming our organization's data management and analytics capabilities.
Their profound understanding of Azure and the Microsoft product suite combined with the effort their organisation has put into learning not only NHSPs strategic goals and its wider marketplace has enabled us to harness the power of these technologies to drive business growth and achieve operational excellence.”
Dave Callow
Chief Information Officer – NHSP
Lessons Learned
Interested in becoming a data driven organisation like NHSP?
Let's discuss how our tailored solutions can empower your decisions and drive your success. Contact us today to explore the possibilities.
Why Choose Beyond?
Expertise
Our team of seasoned consultants has decades of combined experience in data strategy and consulting. We bring deep industry knowledge and hands on experience to every engagement.
Customised Solutions
We provide tailored solutions that fit with where you are on your data journey to address your unique data needs and challenges, ensuring a perfect fit for your organisation.
Value-Driven Approach
Our focus is on delivering real value through our services. We work to identify opportunities for cost savings, revenue generation, and process improvements.
End-to-End Support
We are with you every step of the way, from initial assessment to implementation and beyond. We are committed to your success.
Examples Of Our Work
