East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust

Zircadian helps raise WTD compliance from 47% to 100%

Background

The trust had already built a strong relationship with the support team at Zircadian Limited, and had been using MRM-Live, Zircadian’s rota planning software solution. The software had proved to be pivotal in helping the trust to build the 57 rotas which they had for over 250 doctors.

 

The Challenge

Only 47% of the existing rotas were compliant with the European Working Time Directive target of 48 hours for 2009 (WTD). The challenge was to rebuild the rotas in the quickest possible time with minimal disruption to everyday life in the trust. The WTD solutions also had to be as close to cost-neutral as possible. The trust felt it required a partner with expertise in WTD compliance and rota-building, and asked Zircadian for their help.

 

The Solution

Zircadian firstly rebuilt all the existing rotas. Before embarking on the rota rebuild, time was spent understanding the Medical Staffing Managers’ requirements. Zircadian spent a number of days interviewing medical leads to understand the service delivery requirements. During the rota-building phase there was a continuous dialogue between our Consultants, Medical Staffing and the departmental leads to guarantee everyone was brought into the discussion, and that the rotas met all the doctors’ and managers’ requirements.

 

The project was completed in just over two weeks. Zircadian presented a report outlining compliance, breakdown of costs and future recommendations. Zircadian redesigned 27 of the 57 rotas. WTD compliance rose from 47% to 100%. The cost of achieving compliance was £193,719. This was less than 1.3% of the total junior doctor salary budget. The trust is now working with Zircadian to ensure that processes are put in place to maintain compliance up to and beyond 2009.

 

The Benefits

  • project completion within tight timescales and within budget
  • new rota design based on the requirements of managers and clinicians
  • 100% WTD compliance as rotas implemented over the next 2 years
  • ample time to ‘fine-tune’ rotas prior to the August 2009 deadline
  • detailed understanding of the financial impact of achieving WTD compliance

What they said

"

I would recommend that every single trust should engage the services of Zircadian’s rota building experts to determine exactly where the trust is in terms of efficient, compliant rotas.

"

Mary Harrison, Medical Staffing Manager