Case studies

States of Jersey Health and Social Care meet New Deal regulations with Zircadian

 

Based in the Channel Islands, States of Jersey Health and Social Care provides a full range of hospital and social care services to the 91,000 residents of Jersey and up to 700,000 visitors to the island each year. Although not part of the NHS, the authority takes junior doctors from the South Coast/Wessex Deanery who are posted to the island’s general hospital as part of their training. For this reason, the authority is required to comply with the New Deal and European Working Time Directive (EWTD).

 

During 2010 the authority decided to replace its paper-based doctors’ rostering system with a more robust and efficient way of working. HR and Medical Staffing Manager Melanie Grandfield explained, “We wanted an electronic system that would be easier to use for staff and doctors alike, that would provide us with more information, and would enable us to manage junior doctors’ hours more efficiently.”
“I had been on a few Medical Staffing courses and talking to colleagues found that Zircadian provides solutions to over 140 other NHS trusts and comes highly recommended.”

 

Expert guidance every step of the way

 

One of the key reasons for selecting Zircadian was that, as well as providing software enabling health trusts to monitor and manage doctors’ hours, Zircadian provides expert technical support for the use of the products and for dealing with legislation. This focus ensures that authorities using Zircadian systems are able to get the best from those systems and from their junior doctors both in the short and long term.
The project at States of Jersey started with consultants from Zircadian setting up all paper-based rotas in the online e-Rota system. Rotas were built by Zircadian to match those already in use at the authority. During the set-up of the system, Zircadian specialists discussed with the authority the New Deal and EWTD regulations and their interpretation. This gave the authority an excellent opportunity to review and improve current work patterns.

Once the system was set up, Zircadian provided on-site training for several members of authority staff. The training covered the use of the software as well as compliance with the New Deal and EWTD. Also included with the training package is free access to telephone support whenever required, a rota building service and telephone training for new members of staff.

 

Melanie Grandfield commented, “The expert training provided by Zircadian was very thorough and it is not until you start using the system that you realise quite how much detail it provides. However, if we run into any situations where we are unsure, we can ring the Zircadian support team for guidance. They are always very helpful and knowledgeable, whether it is a question about the software or a compliance issue.”

 

e-Monitor promotes and supports New Deal compliance

 

States of Jersey Health and Social Care are currently using Zircadian’s e-Monitor for monitoring junior doctors’ hours every six months, in compliance with New Deal regulations. e-Monitor covers all doctors at the hospital who provide on-call services. Zircadian provided training for doctors using the system, allowing them to complete the monitoring online 24 hours a day, seven days a week, even from the comfort of their own home. Those doctors who had previously used Zircadian software at other trusts in the UK were able to access the system using their previous log-in details, saving time and streamlining the process. Online monitoring has meant that return rates have improved and much of the administrative burden has been eliminated.

 

When the authority ran its first monitoring session using e-Monitor, it highlighted potential non-compliance in working practice which is now being addressed. Melanie Grandfield said, “Using the Zircadian system has certainly enabled us to focus on what is required and where our priorities lie. It clearly highlights areas that need further investigation, for instance the audit trail shows when, and how often, records have been changed so we are able to challenge inconsistent records when we need to.”

 

Efficiency and compliance

 

When asked about the benefits of both the e-Rota and e-Monitor systems Melanie Grandfield reported, “Being able to comply with the New Deal and EWTD is a major benefit to States of Jersey Health. However, simply having easy-to-use systems that are robust and provide so much useful information has saved us a lot of time. In fact, I can’t imagine how the authority managed without the software; it gives that extra insight that is just impossible to achieve with a paper-based system.”

 

Since completion of this case study Melanie Grandfield has left her position as HR and Medical Staffing Manager. Her replacement Brian Jones was pleased to see that States of Jersey had purchased e-Rota and e-Monitor having had prior operational experience of Zircadian's solutions, including e-Rota and the consultant job planning system e-JobPlan, at a number of other UK trusts.

 

Dr. Masood Ahmed, Director at Zircadian commented, “Zircadian is committed to providing industry leading workforce management solutions for doctors and clinical staff. We believe that an integral part of providing such systems is offering excellent support. We not only look to support our customers with the implementation and rollout of our systems in the short term; it is critical to us as a company that they continue to harness the strength of our products to achieve maximum benefit in the longer term as well. This aspect of our total service package is particularly valuable where there is a lack of in-house expertise around compliance and interpretation of the New Deal and EWTD. It can be a minefield, but our expert team provides the support that can really make a difference when meeting the QIPP objectives. In short we provide a helping hand at every step of the way.”

 

For further information call Dee Enright on 020 8946 8199 or email dee.enright@zircadian.com