Building a £6m+ workforce savings opportunity through strategic staff bank transformation

Client 

Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust (BHRUT) 

Challenge

BHRUT faced a number of significant workforce challenges that were driving temporary staffing costs and limiting the effectiveness of its workforce strategy.

These included:

• High off-framework nursing agency spend
• High medical agency expenditure
• Elevated doctor bank rates
• Limited direct engagement utilisation across some staff groups
• Low bank fill rates
• Significant internal resource and management costs associated with operating the staff bank
• An ineffective supply chain model, where the incumbent managed vendor provider meant retaining agency demand and continued off-framework usage

The Trust recognised the need to reduce workforce costs but required a clear understanding of where sustainable savings could be achieved and how they could be delivered.

Our approach

Rather than proposing a standard outsourced bank model, Bank Partners undertook an extensive consultancy and discovery programme. 

Working closely with finance, workforce and operational stakeholders over a period of more than 12 months, we carried out detailed analysis of: 

• Workforce utilisation patterns 

• Agency expenditure 

• Bank performance 

• Internal delivery costs 

• Supply chain effectiveness 

• Workforce engagement models 

Through a series of collaborative workshops, data reviews and stakeholder discussions, we developed a comprehensive savings model tailored specifically to the Trust’s workforce challenges and objectives. 

This enabled all stakeholders to understand: 

• Where savings could be generated 

• The operational changes required to realise them 

• The risks and dependencies involved 

• How success would be measured

Creating board-level confidence 

A key outcome of the consultancy was the development of a detailed three-year savings model that quantified the financial opportunity available through transformation of the Trust’s staff bank arrangements. 

The model provided: 

• Clearly defined savings categories 

• Robust tracking methodologies 

• Financial governance frameworks 

• SMART performance measures 

• Transparent accountability across all stakeholders 

The level of detail provided the confidence required for executive and board-level decision making and supported approval of the transformation programme.

Results 

The consultancy identified multiple savings opportunities, including: 

• Increased bank utilisation 

• Reduction in off-framework agency usage 

• Consolidation of medical staffing expenditure 

• Improved workforce engagement approaches 

• Reduction in internal delivery costs 

• Year 2 workforce £3.8m gross and £2m net 

The projected savings model identified over £6 million of gross savings opportunities across the programme, with clear methodologies established to monitor and track delivery. 

Most importantly, the Trust gained a workforce solution designed specifically around its own operational and financial priorities rather than adopting a generic market model.

Why it worked 

The success of the engagement was built on: 

• A highly collaborative approach 

• Open and honest stakeholder engagement 

• Detailed workforce and financial analysis 

• Trust-specific solution design 

• Clear governance and accountability 

• Long-term partnership rather than transactional consultancy 

By investing time upfront to build stakeholder alignment, establish clear responsibilities and create shared ownership of outcomes, the Trust entered implementation with a strong foundation for success. 

Client outcome 

The consultancy engagement ultimately led to the outsourcing of the Trust’s staff bank service to Bank Partners.

More importantly, it provided the Trust with a clear, evidence-based roadmap to reduce temporary staffing costs, improve workforce performance and maximise long-term value from its workforce strategy.