Cash, compliance and care continuity: How MSPs are transforming healthcare staffing

Understanding how culture and policies affect frontline workers is critical in any business or organisation – whether your staff are permanent or temporary.

This need to understand the makeup and motivations of the flexible workforce was the catalyst for Acacium Group ’s Experience Management programme launched in 2020. I hope you’ll have seen the recent publication of the first of many white papers where we share what we’ve learned from more than 10,000 health and social care professionals.

In complex and demanding sectors such as health and social care, Maxxima Group 's Managed Service Programmes (MSPs) enable providers to benefit from this knowledge, outsourcing recruitment best practice? and allowing them to focus on what they do best – providing the best patient care.

Trusts, ICBs and health boards who engage MSPs benefit from;

Flexibility in staffing

The whitepaper revealed that flexibility was a core motivator of the temporary health and social care workforce, above and beyond pay. Healthcare organisations can tap into these skilled, flexible workers as and when they need to, whether that be a Friday A&E night rush, cold and flu season, or an effort to tackle waiting list backlogs.

Adjusting the workforce based on fluctuations in patient volume and specific healthcare needs is vital during unforeseen circumstances like the pandemic, where temporary workers came out in force to support substantive staff and bolster the healthcare service in its time of need. This adaptability is key to meeting patient demand and securing continuity of care.

Cost management

Having supported the delivery of MSPs for 16 years, I’ve seen the transformative effect this can have on an organisations people, productivity and P&L. And MSPs in the healthcare sector are no different. MSPs manage staffing costs more effectively.

Hiring temporary staff through an MSP can be more cost-effective than employing full-time staff, especially when considering benefits, insurance, and other employment-related expenses. Like any procurement activity, it’s economies of scale.

Acacium Group is a leading healthcare delivery partner, and the UK’s largest provider of temporary health and social care workers. Providers benefit from this scale and expertise securing volume discounts on staffing to reduce overall workforce costs.

Reduction in administrative burden

‘Time is your most valuable asset’ may be an old trope, but it certainly still rings true for me – personally and professionally.

If your internal teams weren’t on the phone with 12 different suppliers managing candidate ownership or cross-checking references and desperately trying to record it all on a tiered Excel spreadsheet, what could they be doing? Outsourcing to an expert lets you explore what’s in the art of the possible.

MSPs streamline the administrative processes associated with hiring, credentialing, scheduling, and managing payroll for temporary staff. This frees up your hospital administration team to focus on patient care and other critical operational issues.

Access to specialised skills

Another thing we saw in the white paper was the value that the temporary workforce brings to an organisation. As our Acacium Group’s clinical director put it, “Flexible workers know ‘what good looks like. The ability to compare and contrast their experiences and share those learnings with the trusts, health boards and ICBs we work with has been invaluable.”

Temporary healthcare professionals also bring specialised skills that might not be available in-house. Healthcare operators in rural or underserved areas where certain medical specialities are unavailable will know firsthand how critical this is. MSPs facilitate quick access to these specialised professionals as needed.

Continuity of care

During staff shortages, whether due to holidays, maternity leave, or, increasingly, retirement, temporary staff help maintain continuity of care. This is crucial for patient satisfaction and safety, ensuring that the standard of care remains high even when regular staff are unavailable.

Almost 5,000 shifts were completed by Acacium Group workers over the retirement age in 2023, with more than 9,000 shifts completed by workers retiring within the next five years. While it’s clear more has to be done to encourage people into the sector, retaining the talent and expertise of the current workforce is critical to the sustainability of the healthcare system. The temporary workforce is an avenue in which to do that.

Food for thought for anyone considering long-term workforce planning.

Quality and compliance

Patient safety is everything. The people who deliver care must be qualified, vetted and checked. As I mentioned above, this is not only a big administrative burden, but the implications of missing something are huge. Overlooking the potential of financial penalties or reputational damage, people's lives could be at risk.

As an organisation with more than 140 clinicians in our management team, our MSPs have robust systems to ensure that the healthcare professionals we supply meet specific quality and regulatory standards. Our teams know how the system works; they’ve been on the front line; they know the pressures and high stakes. MSP hospitals maintain compliance with regulations and standards, reducing the risk of penalties or sanctions and keeping patients safe.

Strategic workforce planning

They say every business is a tech business, and it’s true. We have access to more data than ever before – and our latest whitepaper is a testament to that. Collecting insights from more than 10,000 health and social workers has created an extensive data set that objectively benchmarks health and social care providers against comparable facilities.

This process is crucial for establishing clear areas for improvement. It enables us to advise healthcare providers on implementing best practices that enhance workplace environments. This consultative approach is integral to our mission of improving people’s lives through excellent healthcare, social care and life sciences.

MSPs provide data and analytics that help healthcare facilities in long-term workforce planning. It enables you to identify trends, predict staffing needs, and help manage workforce dynamics, which is essential for efficient and effective healthcare delivery.

Exploring the white paper data with our clients has been eye-opening and informative, for both them and us. The next step is taking action, and it’s fantastic that so many providers welcome these insights with open arms and start taking productive moves towards their next steps.? For some, moving towards an MSP model is the right one. Get in touch to explore if it might be for your organisation.