A decade of workforce success with Barts Health NHS Trust 

Building on ten years of workforce success 

Since 2013, Barts Health NHS Trust has partnered with Bank Partners to strengthen staff bank performance, increase workforce capacity and reduce reliance on agency staffing. Over time, the partnership has evolved to support additional staff groups and wider workforce requirements across the trust.  

The expansion of the service into estates and facilities workforce management demonstrates how the partnership has continued to adapt as workforce needs have changed.

Client 

Barts Health NHS Trust.

Challenge

A rise in patient demand created additional workforce requirements across roles essential to the safe and effective operation of the trust’s sites. 

Barts Health needed to attract workers across estates and facilities, including portering, catering and domestic services. Reception and security roles were also in demand. Recruiting suitable workers at the agreed rates was challenging within the Greater London market.  

The trust also wanted to bring its estates and facilities service in-house and integrate flexible workforce supply into its existing managed service with Bank Partners.  

Our approach

In May 2023, Bank Partners took responsibility for managing all flexible workforce supply across estates and facilities.  

Our teams worked with trust stakeholders to understand recruitment requirements and review historic agency supply data. Role-specific processes were developed to reflect the different recruitment and compliance requirements across the service.  

Bank Partners supported the transition of 1,300 workers from the previous provider. The service also incorporated agency supply chain management, with performance monitored through measures including fill rates, response times and compliance. Regular audits of supply chain agencies helped maintain service capability as the trust’s requirements evolved.  

Results 

Managed staff bank partnership results 

• 90%+ fill rates achieved across the trust  

• 24 million bank hours filled since 2014  

• £300 million saved through the avoidance of 874,000 agency shifts  

• 77% average fill rate in hard-to-fill areas  

Estates and facilities results 

• Approximately £633,000 saved in agency spend during 2023  

• More than £200,000 saved since Bank Partners took over the estates and facilities service  

• 94% average fill rate across estates and facilities  

• 1,300 workers transitioned from the previous provider  

• More than 150 workers moved from agency to bank  

Building on a decade of partnership 

The estates and facilities expansion built on Bank Partners’ long-standing relationship with Barts Health and its understanding of the trust’s workforce. 

Bank Partners became an extension of the organisation, developing processes around the requirements of each role rather than applying a standard model. Detailed management information and regular performance reviews supported continued service improvement. The wider capability of Acacium Group also helped Barts Health simplify its supply chain and address workforce challenges beyond the scope of the original managed staff bank service.  

Client outcome 

Barts Health now benefits from an end-to-end flexible workforce service that includes managed staff bank delivery and agency supply chain management.  

Within a year of the estates and facilities service launching, Bank Partners was filling 15,000 hours each week with bank workers at a 94% fill rate. More than two-thirds of workers transferred from the previous provider joined the staff bank.  

The expanded partnership has helped the trust strengthen bank performance, reduce agency expenditure and respond to changing workforce requirements. 

Discuss your staff bank priorities 

Whether you’re looking to improve fill rates, reduce agency reliance or strengthen workforce visibility, our team can help.