Managing an NHS workforce effectively means balancing job planning requirements with real-world rostering demand, but these two systems often don’t talk to each other. Unifying these two processes gives organisations a clearer picture of how planned activity compares to actual work delivered, helping teams make informed decisions about staffing resources. In 2025, it is apparent that this is not a luxury but a necessity across the NHS.

The full NHS staffing picture

Reporting tools that surface job plan and rostering data provide an easy way to compare contracted hours with actual shifts worked. On Patchwork Insights, the Job Plan vs. Rostered Activities Dashboard is available for clinical staff, and shows consolidated data including activity types and weekly working hours.

Having this side-by-side view of job planning and rostering data means workforce managers can quickly spot if a clinician is working additional hours outside of their job plan, enabling teams to prioritise wellbeing and redeploy workers appropriately. 

Making proactive workforce decisions

By clearly showing planned vs. delivered work, managers can make better, more informed decisions:

• If a clinician is below their planned hours, managers can deploy the worker to vacant shifts instead of bringing in temporary staff, reducing additional bank or agency spend.
• If a clinician is over their contracted hours, this flags a well-being concern, allowing managers to step in before burnout becomes an issue.

Learning from others: benchmarking job planning

 Our job planning activity comparison tool takes this a step further by allowing trusts to benchmark job plans across organisations. Users can analyse the effectiveness of current job plans using the following capabilities:

• Filter by specialty to see how time is allocated in similar roles
• Compare job plan allocations across different trusts and private practice
• Monitor variations in time spent on different activities across specialities
• Use real-world data to make job plans fairer for clinicians 

With access to cross-organisational data, teams can easily benchmark job planning activity to drive improvements in demand and capacity planning using real-world insights.

Healthcare teams working smarter

Having real-time data on job planning and rostering can significantly improve workforce management and outcomes. Knowing where resources are being stretched too thin – or where shifts could be better aligned with job plans – helps trusts make better decisions for both their teams and their budgets.

 

As organisations across the UK look ahead to the challenges of 2025/26, there is a renewed urgency to rethink how we support, retain, and manage the people who keep our health service running. The latest operational planning guidance published by NHS England has made it clear: improving staff retention, increasing workforce flexibility, enhancing productivity, and reducing reliance on temporary staffing are must-hit objectives, with renewed targets in place to meet over the months ahead.

Yet, in a system already under pressure, how can these goals be achieved in a way that is both sustainable and practical? The key lies in proactive workforce planning, leveraging new approaches and emerging technologies to support both clinicians and the wider objectives of NHS organisations. These challenges are not new, but in an ever-evolving healthcare landscape, they serve as a crucial reminder of the NHS’s core workforce priorities.

NHS staffing challenges: Retention, burnout, and workforce shortages

 

Right now, NHS workforce teams face a delicate balancing act. The demand for care continues to rise, but staffing shortages persist. Burnout and attrition remain stubborn challenges, with many clinicians reporting unsustainable workloads. Meanwhile, financial constraints mean trusts must find ways to reduce expenditure on temporary staffing without compromising patient safety. 

The guidance has set ambitious targets to:

• Improve retention by addressing working conditions and career development opportunities
• Increase workforce productivity through a 4% efficiency improvement,  by making smarter use of resources
• Expand workforce flexibility, supporting new ways of working, enhanced rostering, and better access to temporary staffing
• Reduce temporary staffing expenditure, minimising reliance on agencies and tightening grip and control on spend

Achieving these objectives in isolation would be challenging enough. But to do so while managing staffing shortages, rising patient demand, and financial pressures makes it clear: the traditional ways of managing the NHS workforce won’t be enough. A fresh approach is needed – one that embraces smarter planning, better technology, and a shift towards proactive workforce management.

The role of data and technology in NHS workforce planning

 

So what does that fresh approach look like? At its core, workforce transformation isn’t about simply cutting costs or enforcing rigid efficiencies – it’s about building a system that works better for people. 

New technologies and data-driven insights are already shaping how NHS teams approach staffing. From intelligent rostering systems that prioritise clinician preferences, to predictive workforce planning tools that help teams anticipate demand before it becomes a crisis, these innovations have the potential to reshape workforce management.

For example, smarter scheduling and leave management systems can reduce the friction that leads to burnout by giving clinicians greater control over their working patterns and making it easier to plan leave in advance, while easy access to real-time data can provide greater visibility over workforce supply and demand. Meanwhile, improved collaboration across trusts – using shared staff banks and better direct engagement models – can reduce reliance on agency staffing while ensuring teams have the flexibility they need.

Future-proofing NHS workforce management in 2025 and beyond

 

NHS trusts that embrace new ways of working – supported by the right technology and a more flexible approach to workforce planning – will be best positioned to meet the challenges of 2025/26 and beyond. However, this isn’t just about hitting targets; it’s about building a workforce that is sustainable, empowered, and able to provide the best possible care.

By rethinking how staff are supported, retained, and deployed, the NHS can create a system that works for everyone – one where clinicians feel valued, operational teams can plan effectively, and patients receive the very best care.

Medical appraisals are essential for ensuring doctors remain compliant and fit to deliver the best possible care to patients. But too often, the process becomes time-consuming and admin-heavy, creating a burden for both clinicians and appraisers. The right technology can transform appraisals from a tick-box exercise into a meaningful tool for professional growth and improved patient care.

Why choosing the right appraisal platform matters

Appraisals are critical. For doctors, they’re essential for revalidation and professional growth. For organisations, they help maintain high standards of care and compliance. But when processes are bogged down by clunky systems or endless admin, things can quickly become frustrating for all involved.

Five key things to look for in appraisal technology

1. System flexibility that supports real-world needs  

Every speciality has unique requirements when it comes to appraisals. For example, while doctors may typically need 25 patient reviews annually, some may require more – or fewer. Certain systems don’t cater for specific requirements such as Pathologists, who may not receive the traditional methods of feedback. A flexible system allows organisations to maintain compliance and tailor the process to a variety of needs, making it easier for clinicians to complete appraisals effectively.

2. Seamless integration with wider revalidation and compliance tools

An appraisal system shouldn’t operate in isolation. Integration with tools that cover the breadth of the compliance and revalidation picture, including practising privileges, CQC and multi-source feedback systems, ensures a streamlined experience, reducing duplication of work and ensuring all necessary records are centralised. This supports regulatory compliance while making it easier for healthcare organisations to track and manage appraisals efficiently.

3. Tools that work as hard as you do

Doctors change roles, and responsible officers rotate, but the appraisal process must remain seamless. A system that stores all notes and records against a doctor’s profile ensures that appraisers and responsible officers have a full history available at any time. This provides a safety net, supports smooth transitions, and eliminates the need for appraisers to store local copies off-system.

4. Data migration without disruption 

Switching to a new system shouldn’t mean losing valuable historical data. A robust platform ensures that all past appraisals are migrated securely and efficiently, preventing administrative headaches and ensuring continuity for clinicians and appraisers alike.

5. Built-in meeting management for hassle-free scheduling  

Gone are the days of juggling different platforms just to schedule an appraisal. Systems that allow booking, tracking, and note-taking all in one place can streamline the process, helping everyone stay organised and focused. 

Why this matters

At its core, the appraisal process is about supporting doctors in delivering the highest standard of care. When the process is simple, efficient, and integrated into the wider compliance framework, doctors feel supported, organisations maintain quality standards, and patient safety is strengthened. With smart solutions like L2P’s appraisal system, healthcare teams can focus on what really matters – delivering excellent patient outcomes.

If these benefits sound like they’d support your workforce, get in touch to find out more.

NHS job planning and rostering are often managed in silos. Job plans set out the big picture: the activities clinicians are contracted to deliver. It is an important contractual obligation that supports service delivery, as well as professional development. Rosters apply this information to service delivery: who does what, when. Although job plans should directly inform the way rosters are created and managed, the respective systems are often disconnected, making it difficult for organisations to track planned vs actual activities, and associated staffing spend. 

But what if we brought these two processes together? It’s a concept that could transform workforce management, making it smarter, faster, and more responsive to real-world needs. Exciting, right?

Turning a job plan into an everyday tool

Right now, job plans can feel like a once-a-year tick-box exercise. They’re created, and then sit in an unagile form away from ever-evolving rosters. But what if job plans became part of the daily workflow? By integrating them within the rostering system, workforce teams would have a comprehensive system where job plans actively shape the rota, ensuring planned activities line up with actual schedules, and provides full visibility in real-time of any deviances.

Instead of managers manually cross-referencing job plans to create rosters, an automated system could also handle the heavy lifting. This wouldn’t just free up admin time – it would make managing services smoother and more efficient, empowering all individuals involved.

A true 360° process

A key benefit of this integration is the ability to easily and accurately track how well job plans are being delivered.

This isn’t just about spotting gaps. It’s about using real-time information to make better decisions. For instance, if a clinician’s job plan includes two Programmed Activities (PAs) of Direct Clinical Care (DCC) per week for delivering Clinic A, but only one is being rostered due to competing demands, this discrepancy can be swiftly identified and addressed. Similarly, real-time tracking of planned versus delivered activities can highlight instances where Supporting Professional Activities (SPA) time isn’t being honoured. By taking remedial action, organisations can support clinician well-being, enhance job satisfaction, and contribute to better staff retention.Over time, this creates a clearer picture of how resources are being used, this then enables teams to deploy workers more cost-efficiently and protect professional development/ensure SPA is prioritised and honoured. With these insights, the next round of job planning can be more aligned to true service demand, more equitable across the team and more supportive of professional development.

Looking ahead

It’s about more than just schedules – it’s about creating a dynamic system that evolves with your workforce requirements. By reducing admin, improving efficiency, and giving teams the tools they need to adapt, this approach could fundamentally change how NHS organisations manage their clinical staff. While tech providers have often supported pieces of the puzzle, integrating L2P’s Job Planning solution with Patchwork Rota means we can now offer the complete picture – helping you plan, deliver, and optimise workforce management in a truly joined-up way.

And, just like that, another year has flown by. As has become custom, I wanted to reflect on, and celebrate, everything that the last twelve months have brought. Whilst every year feels memorable in the world of scale-ups, this year was particularly significant for Patchwork Health. We welcomed some incredible new NHS partners, turned a huge variety of product dreams into reality, and completed our first acquisition. Ahead of a well-deserved winter break for our team, here’s a round-up of some things we’re proud of from 2024. 

Welcoming new NHS partners

Over the course of this year, our community of valued NHS customers has grown considerably. Over 60 NHS organisations across the UK are now leveraging Patchwork Health technology for their workforce needs. 

This includes Barts Health NHS Trust, Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust who we were delighted to welcome to join us in 2024. Working alongside these fantastic teams is a privilege, and we look forward to supporting them and all of our new partners as they implement innovative new workforce strategies in the months and years ahead.

This growth means that our solutions now support more than 55,000 healthcare workers and have saved the NHS over £120 million to date. In the past two years alone, more than 12 million shift hours were filled thanks to our technology.

Innovating to build a sustainable, flexible future for the NHS

To support this growing community of users and customers, our team has worked hard to deliver a host of updates and new features that have redefined flexibility and efficiency for both clinicians and managers.

Patchwork Rota has expanded functionality and features that place flexibility and fairness at the forefront of our offering:

• Our new shift swap feature empowers clinicians to propose rota changes and manage their schedules with ease, and managers can easily approve requested swaps without an additional admin burden. This is all possible while still maintaining safe staffing levels.
• We’ve introduced integrated service plans to ensure rotas align with true patient demand, minimising discrepancies in planned versus actual spend.
• To unlock the true potential of self-rostering, we’ve introduced a preference-based approach – combining clinician preferences with cutting-edge algorithms to assign shifts in a way that’s equitable, transparent, and efficient.

Patchwork Bank continued its evolution with:

• A platform makeover, making it faster and more intuitive for managers and temporary staffing teams.
• Enhanced block booking capabilities, including on-call shift scheduling, retrospective edits, and lightning-fast loading speeds.
• Wagestream integration – offering clinicians access to the benefits of Wagestream, all within our app. This provides real-time visibility of earnings and financial well-being support, as well as the ability to choose when to get paid and access a range of unique discounts. 

With Patchwork Agency Manager, we removed even more of the admin burden for healthcare teams:

• We’ve enhanced our direct engagement capabilities – making us the only single-tech solution in the market to offer fully integrated direct engagement contracting.
• Our new auto-cascade features allow organisations to automatically assign shifts through agency tiers based on configurable rules, saving time while improving compliance and control.

We’ve also continued to develop our Insights tools – harnessing machine learning to lay the foundations for even smarter analytics and data-driven workforce management in the years to come.

Collaboration & celebration

Last month, we had the huge pleasure of announcing our acquisition of L2P Enterprise Ltd. L2P is the country’s foremost provider of medical appraisal software and the fastest-growing provider of job planning software to healthcare professionals, with over 75 NHS Trusts using their solutions. This new partnership will allow us to offer a truly end-to-end suite of tools to meet clinical workforce needs – from capacity and demand planning to workforce deployment, reporting and appraisals. Our combined reach means we are now supporting over 100,000 clinicians across more than 200 healthcare organisations. 

2024 also marked a major milestone for the NHS Collaborative Bank – MWL in the North West – a Patchwork Health powered initiative led by Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. The collaborative bank, which is the largest in the UK, celebrated its four-year anniversary in November. So far, the initiative has filled more than 490,000 shift hours, saving £3 million in agency spend and retaining £32.7 million worth of staffing costs within the NHS. 

Another standout moment from this year was winning the Workforce and Wellbeing Initiative of the Year award at the HSJ Partnership Awards, recognising our efforts to unlock flexible working for clinicians across more than 60 NHS organisations. Last week, we were also announced as finalists alongside Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust in next year’s HSJ awards, for our work retaining and recruiting the Trust’s medical workforce via our end-to-end staffing solution.

The people who make it possible

It goes without saying that none of this would have been achievable without the dedication, energy, and creativity of the Patchwork Health team. Your hard work inspires me every day – from pushing the boundaries of innovation to organising incredible initiatives like the annual cycling trip, which saw us raise over £3,000 for the Motor Neurone Disease Association. I feel immensely proud and grateful to call you my colleagues. 

I also want to extend our thanks and gratitude to our incredible colleagues working within the NHS. Under relentless pressure and facing a constant stream of new challenges, your dedication to providing outstanding, compassionate care to patients provides all the motivation we need to continue creating new, innovative solutions to support you. Together, we will build a flexible, sustainable healthcare workforce – fit to face the challenges that lie ahead. 

Looking ahead

As we step into 2025, I’m filled with pride for what we’ve accomplished so far and with excitement for what’s still to come. The road ahead for the NHS has arguably never been more challenging, but that only fuels our motivation to make a difference. With our acquisition of L2P, our growing cohort of NHS champions, an ambitious product roadmap, and the most talented team in healthtech, I can’t wait to see what we achieve together next year at this most critical juncture for the country’s healthcare system.

 

View Patchwork Health’s 2024 wrap-up video here

 

 

The NHS spent a staggering £3 billion on agency staff across the last 12 months – a number as eye-watering as it is unsustainable. Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting has made it clear: this level of spending cannot continue. Announcing a bold new reform package, he declared, “We’re not going to let the NHS get ripped off anymore.” But what’s behind this issue, and how could these reforms pave the way for a more sustainable future?

We watched Wes’ talk at NHS Providers last week, but can he truly lead us down the street to the reformed healthcare system he envisions?

What did the Health Secretary say was driving the NHS’s reliance on agency staff?

Understaffing is the root cause. Hospitals face relentless pressure to fill rota gaps, and when there aren’t enough permanent staff, agencies step in to ensure patient care delivery is maintained. While agency staff play a vital role in keeping services running, they often come at a high price. Agency workers are typically paid above standard NHS rates, leaving trusts struggling to balance patient safety with rising costs. It’s a complex juggling act, and one which NHS organisations can understandably struggle to balance amidst rising pressure.

This dependence also has unintended consequences, drawing experienced staff away from permanent roles in favour of the higher pay and flexibility offered by agencies. After years of underinvestment, this vicious cycle is one of the main challenges Streeting’s reforms aim to break.

The government’s plans to curb overspending

Unveiled at the NHS Providers Conference in November, the Health Secretary’s reform package targets wasteful spending while prioritising value for money. Although the full details are still emerging, the key priorities include:

Strengthening the NHS’s permanent workforce: 

The aim is to reduce reliance on agency workers by investing in recruitment and retention strategies for permanent NHS employees, while still recognising the role of agencies in the current model. Investing in the wellbeing and work-life balance of clinicians will be paramount, as hoards of clinicians leaving cite stress as a key factor. This can be done through many initiatives, starting with investing in technology that empowers clinicians with the flexibility they seek, without impacting service delivery.

“Zero tolerance”:

Wes Streeting spoke in a stern tone, frankly noting the need for urgent change. Expect stricter oversight and cost controls to ensure trusts aren’t overpaying for temporary cover. Trusts performing well will be celebrated, while those falling short may face special measures.

Tech-driven change: 

Investing in modern solutions. Streeting and top decision-makers are pledging support to trusts showing a willingness to drive innovation. Tools like Patchwork’s Agency Manager could play a pivotal role. By providing NHS trusts with transparency, optimised shift management, and integrated workforce systems, these innovations are already helping many trusts take back control of their staffing budgets.

How will this impact the NHS and its staff?

For permanent NHS staff, these reforms could bring much-needed relief. Fewer rota gaps mean less pressure and a more manageable workload. For patients, the hope is for better care delivered by a more stable and consistent workforce. And for taxpayers, the ultimate goal is clear: a more efficient NHS that delivers high-quality care without breaking the bank.

However, change won’t happen overnight. Trusts will need the right tools, partnerships, and support to adapt. That’s where innovative tech solutions come into play, with comprehensive implementations that streamline workforce management whilst reducing the need for costly agency reliance.

Wes Streeting’s step towards sustainability

The £3 billion spent on agency staff last year is a wake-up call. While these workers have been a lifeline for many hospitals, and will continue to act as a necessary safety net going forward, the NHS cannot afford to rely on this model long-term. The reforms outlined by Wes Streeting represent a promising and important step in the right direction, but their success hinges on effective implementation across all trusts.

In the meantime, technology and collaboration will be key to driving this change. Solutions like Patchwork Health are already helping trusts save millions, demonstrating the potential of modern tools to transform workforce management. The urgency was clear in Wes’s address – action is needed now to secure a sustainable future for our healthcare system.

Find out more about some of the current solutions and savings here

What is Change NHS?

The government describes Change NHS as “the biggest ever conversation about the future of the NHS.” On Monday 21st October, Health Secretary Wes Streeting announced the opening of an online portal for staff, patients, carers and outside organisations to share their experiences of the NHS, and to suggest changes they would like to see in the service.

Open until the beginning of next year, the consultation is an opportunity for the public to offer ideas which the government says will shape its 10-Year Health Plan for England, expected to be released in Spring 2025. 

How does it relate to the NHS 10-Year Plan?

While it’s open to everyone, the new website includes a specific section for members of the health and care workforce to share their personal experiences, and tell leaders how they feel the NHS could be improved. 

The link leads to a questionnaire, which begins by asking staff to list the three “best” and “most challenging” things about their jobs, before ranking challenges in order of importance. The final question is an open text box for staff to write in detail about the specific challenges they’ve come across in the NHS, which they’d like leaders to address moving forward. There is also an invitation for respondents to highlight improvements they’ve seen in their own workplace, which could be applied across the whole service. Though it’s important to give specific examples, the consultation is aimed at pooling ideas for the NHS 10-Year Health Plan, rather than giving feedback on individual services. 

These suggestions will be used to help the government develop its strategy to create three major changes in the NHS, shifting its focus: 

• from hospital to community;
• from analogue to digital; and
• from sickness to prevention 

Progress towards the NHS 10-year plan, while ensuring staff have their say

Despite NHS England’s CEO, Amanda Pritchard, describing this as a, “once in a generation opportunity” for change, some colleagues will be sceptical about the process. There’s no doubt that the NHS is in urgent need of reform, and many are keen to see less talk, and more action from those at the top. We’ve heard speeches from ministers about “hearing all voices” and “supporting the workforce” before, so it’s understandable that staff will want to be sure that the feedback gained through these surveys is implemented in concrete policy terms. 

Still, if we want to build a stronger health service, it’s going to take all of us. Everybody must have their say. It’s only a start, but this consultation is an opportunity we simply have to take to share our views and help shape the future of our NHS. After that, it will be up to the government to introduce new measures, which properly address the concerns raised and support healthcare staff to continue their incredible work. 

What is productivity in the NHS?

Productivity is a crucial focus for NHS organisations, given the current impact managing a vast and diverse workforce can often have on efficiency. Reliance on outdated processes and fragmented staffing systems has often led to ineffective staffing and unnecessary costs. And without real-time access to NHS workforce statistics, organisations are forced to react to staffing issues at the last minute instead of managing them proactively. Below, we outline the challenges organisations face when it comes to workforce insights, and how a data-driven solution can enhance NHS workforce productivity. 

 

How does inconsistent NHS workforce data impact decision-making?

In the NHS, decisions about workforce deployment are often made with outdated or incomplete data, resulting in potential understaffing or overstaffing, both of which place undue strain on resources. For example, without visibility of previous active bank workers, staffing teams may source an agency worker rather than relying on known, and more cost-effective, bank workers to fill gaps. This can lead to a myriad of inefficiencies across departments. Making any decision without all the necessary tools is difficult, however, what is frustrating for many managers is that NHS workforce statistics are there, but many systems don’t easily surface this information for teams to access when necessary.

 

Inform decision-making with NHS workforce statistics

To address this, systems should enable staffing managers to leverage real-time data insights to make informed decisions about workforce deployment through reporting software. By continuously monitoring staffing activities – such as shift patterns, absenteeism rates, and retention trends – administrators can proactively manage staffing levels, reducing the risk of misallocation. This ensures resources are used where they are most needed, enhancing overall efficiency simply by tapping into the NHS workforce statistics coming out of day-to-day workforce management.

One example of this in practice is access to data relating to shift lead times – if systems enable managers to identify the average lead times for different shift bookings, they can more easily and accurately decide the appropriate time to broadcast, or escalate, specific shifts to maximise fill rates. As a result, managers can save time on delivering crucial actions, feel reassured that decisions are backed by data and help minimise staffing spend.

Poor engagement from clinicians

Retaining staff is critical in the NHS, given the latest NHS Staff Survey reported that 29% of participants often think about leaving. Yet without further insight into where bottlenecks or disengagement are occurring, recruitment and retention efforts can be inefficient and costly. Traditional processes often involve long wait times and manual approvals, which can deter clinicians from completing the onboarding process. Clinicians might be discouraged from engaging with digital platforms too if the onboarding process is cumbersome or delayed, leading to low engagement and underutilisation of available staff. 

Without visibility into these issues, organisations risk losing valuable workers before they have even started. When managers aren’t granted access to the number of available clinicians and where they can be most appropriately deployed, it becomes even harder to plan and manage staffing activities effectively, significantly reducing productivity as a result.

 

Better utilisation of the workforce

NHS workforce statistics offer a solution by enabling organisations to streamline recruitment and retention efforts. By tracking the number of applicants awaiting approval to staff banks and their specialities, for example, NHS trusts can prioritise onboarding for high-demand roles. Monitoring the time it takes for an applicant to move through the system also helps identify and address any delays. This proactive approach ensures that departments with urgent needs are prioritised, reducing the time and costs associated with recruitment.

By analysing the demographics and engagement levels of bank workers specifically, NHS organisations can make informed decisions that improve workforce utilisation. Identifying specialities with a high number of unengaged workers allows for targeted re-engagement strategies, ensuring these workers are effectively utilised. This approach not only optimises the full use of the current workforce but also prevents unnecessary recruitment efforts in areas that are already well-staffed.

Conclusion

Leveraging NHS workforce statistics is a game-changer for boosting productivity within the NHS. By integrating real-time information into decision-making processes, organisations can move from reactive to proactive workforce management. Data-driven insights allow teams to anticipate staffing needs, address inefficiencies before they escalate, and ensure that resources are optimally allocated.

For NHS staff working with data, the goal is to transform these numbers into actionable insights that empower teams to be as productive as possible. With these tools, organisations can confidently navigate the complexities of workforce management, making informed choices that increase productivity, drive efficiency, and support a happier, more engaged workforce.