Credentially vs Outsourcing: Which One Suits Your Organisation?

Wondering how the industry leaders approach healthcare onboarding and compliance?

If you're in the business of recruitment, you're undoubtedly familiar with the constant struggle to secure top-notch talent. The long onboarding processes, high HR costs, and the need to comply with CQC regulations make the journey even more challenging.

The first question you need to ask yourself.

Can there be simpler, quicker paths to onboarding and compliance?

Your time and budget matter, and so does your success.

That's where this blog comes in. Healthcare recruitment isn't one-size-fits-all; it's about finding what suits your agency best. If you handle occasional, one-off recruitments, outsourcing offers the flexibility you need. Credentially's advanced tech might be your ideal match for agencies dealing with regular or high-volume recruiting. How to decide? Explore below, where we dissect the strengths of outsourcing and Credentially's innovative tech. We aim to guide you, providing insights tailored to your agency's unique requirements. Whether you need personalised attention or crave efficiency at scale. By the end, you'll clearly understand what each option entails, empowering you to make an informed decision suited to your agency's needs.

The Outsourcing Appeal: A Traditional Pathway

As a leader in a thriving healthcare recruitment agency, you're constantly navigating a sea of interviews, meetings, and endless tasks to keep the engine running. Amidst this whirlwind, ensuring compliance with Care Quality Commission (CQC) standards is an additional mountain to climb, primarily when your core expertise lies in recruitment, not compliance audit.

Here's where outsourcing shines—a tried-and-tested solution.

Envision a team of seasoned professionals taking over your compliance challenges. They come equipped with expertise, aligning your operations seamlessly with CQC standards and NHS best practices. This scenario isn't merely wishful thinking. It's a reality that can liberate your in-house resources, allowing them to focus solely on what they do best—recruitment.

Let's delve a bit deeper.

A Wealth of Expertise:

Outsourcing firms specialising in compliance audits are repositories of expertise. They bridge the gap between healthcare recruiters and the maze of CQC standards, simplifying the complex compliance landscape. Their experts, well-versed in healthcare compliance and regulation, leave no stone unturned during audits.

Cost Reduction:

Unlike the financial burden of in-house compliance—hiring, training, and technology investments—outsourcing provides a sigh of relief. The larger scale of outsourcing firms translates to cost savings, distributing operational costs across multiple clients, making compliance less of a financial burden.

Time-Saver:

With their specialised focus, these firms conduct compliance audits swiftly and effectively, acting as a catalyst in streamlining your compliance processes. This efficiency allows you to channel your time and resources towards core business functions and revenue-generating activities.

Boosted Confidence:

Engaging reputable outsourcing firms acts as a badge of compliance assurance. Your clients gain confidence knowing your recruitment processes have been rigorously vetted and aligned with UK healthcare regulations. This enhances your credibility and fosters trust—a priceless asset in the recruitment landscape.

Cost-effective Compliance Assurance:

An in-house compliance expert is a hefty financial commitment for burgeoning recruitment agencies or smaller ventures. Outsourcing emerges as a cost-effective solution, ensuring stringent compliance adherence without a hefty price tag.

Agile Compliance Management:

In the ever-evolving domain of healthcare compliance, the agility offered by outsourcing is invaluable. These firms, adept at promptly identifying and addressing compliance issues, often prevent significant problems due to their awareness of evolving regulations.

Reduced Risk, Elevated Reputation:

Outsourcing acts as a shield against the financial and reputational repercussions that non-compliance can trigger. It's a safeguard that mitigates potential risks and bolsters your recruitment firm's reputation.

Strategic Business Enhancement:

Outsourcing amplifies your agency's appeal to prospective clients, candidates, and partners by showcasing a commitment to maintaining a compliant and professionally managed recruitment process. The impartial perspectives of external consultants often unveil novel solutions, contributing to insightful problem-solving and strategic business growth.

Integrated Tech Marvels:

Outsourcing firms often lead the charge in employing integrated technology solutions that streamline the audit and compliance process. This tech infusion accelerates the audit process and provides actionable insights, refining your recruitment strategies further.

Outsourcing—the bridge between traditional recruitment practices and modern-day compliance expertise. It's not merely offloading tasks; it's about elevating your recruitment firm to a new height of compliance assurance and operational efficiency. 

Outsourcing is a practical step to handle the compliance needs of healthcare staffing. It takes a big chunk of responsibility off your plate. But it's not a one-size-fits-all solution. Although appealing, like anything, it has its nuances. Human errors are always lurking, and for organisations on a rapid growth trajectory, the costs can indeed cause concern.

Drawbacks of Outsourcing in Healthcare Staffing

One major hiccup is human error. With a ton of candidate information and documents to manage, mistakes can happen. And these mistakes, even if small, can have significant consequences for the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Here's another snag. Outsourcing usually covers the initial compliance checks. But what about the ongoing compliance or re-credentialing? It's a big deal in healthcare staffing. For example, if a healthcare professional's Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) status changes or their certifications expire, the ball is back in your court.

Cost is another factor to consider, especially if you're hiring healthcare professionals in large numbers. The costs of outsourcing can add up quickly. And don't forget about the time-to-hire. In a market that's always in the fast lane, a longer hiring cycle can send prospective healthcare candidates to competitors who can get them on board quicker.

In short, outsourcing can be a great help, but it has its limitations. Human error, ongoing compliance checks, costs, and time-to-hire all need a close look. As you weigh the pros and cons of outsourcing, understanding these drawbacks will help you make a well-informed decision.

Understanding the HR Software Landscape

HR software is the backbone for managing various organisational processes, including payroll, applicant tracking, and shift scheduling. Yet, a one-size-fits-all solution often remains elusive. Specialised software applications have emerged, focusing on distinct HR processes, from Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS).

The need for specialised software is pronounced for onboarding and compliance—two critical HR functions. The meticulous process of verifying credentials, ensuring regulatory compliance, and managing ongoing compliance for new hires necessitates dedicated tools.

‍

How Credentially Approaches Compliance

Credentially employs cutting-edge technologies like automation, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Optical Character Recognition (OCR) to automate the manual verification of credentials.

By significantly easing the administrative burden that often overwhelms recruitment agencies, Credentially boasts an impressive reduction in onboarding times - from a staggering industry average of several weeks to a mere 5 days. This efficiency in swiftly verifying credentials, ensuring compliance, and onboarding candidates showcase how automation reshapes traditional recruitment paradigms. 

‍

Let's delve a bit deeper into the process with 3 key aspects:

1 - Profile Creation:

The HR or compliance team begins by crafting a profile package on Credentially, specifying the requirements for candidates based on their respective job roles. This may include various document requests such as certifications and qualifications.

‍

2 - Candidate Onboarding:

Candidates receive a personalised link and follow a step-by-step process to enter their details. Credentially collaborates with uCheck to verify the information. Candidates can upload documents directly from their phones, with OCR technology recognising document types and expiry dates. DBS checks are performed, and the status is regularly updated. Candidates can electronically sign any necessary documents. An interactive demo of Credentially's onboarding process is available here for a firsthand experience.

3 - Monitoring and Compliance:

On the HR or compliance team's side, they receive real-time updates on the onboarding progress. They are alerted to any compliance issues that require attention and are prompted for necessary approvals. This also encompasses ongoing compliance e.g. alerts for documents due to expire or a change in DBS status.

Exploring Credentially's Capabilities in 6 Simple Features

‍

1 - Automated Checks:

Credentially conducts automated verifications with institutions like DBS, GMC, NMC, and HCPC, ensuring accurate employee credential validation. This boosts productivity, allowing HR and Compliance officers to handle five times more cases efficiently. Pre-employment checks can be completed within five days and tailored for each job type. Continuous real-time monitoring provides an up-to-date compliance overview.

2 - OCR Scanning:

Credentially simplifies data management with OCR technology, eliminating manual data entry. This saves time, centralises all data securely, and enhances accuracy by reducing manual errors. Scanned documents become searchable and editable, simplifying information retrieval.

3 - Reference Requests:

Credentially automates reference requests, increasing receipt rates by 70%. It seamlessly integrates reference checks into onboarding, ensuring candidate evaluation efficiency. Real-time tracking and automated reminders streamline the process for applicants and providers.

4 - All-In-One Hub:

Credentially serves as a centralised, GDPR-compliant data hub, unifying employee records securely. It ensures operational consistency, acting as a data processor managing HR and compliance records while granting organisations control over specific data.

5 - Compliance Monitoring:

Credentially's intuitive dashboard offers quick insights into staff onboarding and compliance status. Custom tagging and robust reporting features identify areas for improvement, ensuring compliance and efficiency.

6 - Easy Reporting:

Credentially's advanced reporting generates customised reports, simplifying HR metric analysis and compliance tracking. Real-time insights and visualisations aid strategic decision-making, saving time and enhancing efficiency.

‍

The Shortcomings of Credentially

Initial Setup and Adaptation:

Credentially requires an initial setup alongside an adaptation phase to its technologically-driven mechanisms. This learning curve could pose a hurdle for smaller operations or those with limited technical savvy. Acquainting oneself with a new software platform may demand additional time and resources, which may not always be readily available.

On the other hand, outsourcing represents a ready-to-go solution with seasoned experts at the helm from the outset. This model eradicates the need for a setup phase or a learning curve, allowing for an immediate commencement of the recruitment and compliance processes.

Cost Factor for Smaller Agencies:

Regarding costs, Credentially operates on a flexible monthly subscription model, contrasting with the fixed fees typical of outsourcing services. The monthly subscription fee is determined by the number of users, allowing for adjustments based on your specific needs. Larger organisations can benefit from a volume discount, reducing the per-user fee. 

Conversely, outsourcing often operates on a pay-per-use model, aligning the costs directly with the volume of recruitment and compliance tasks undertaken. This model presents a more economical solution for agencies with sporadic or lower volume recruitment needs, as it allows for cost control in line with the actual usage, making it a financially flexible option compared to the fixed subscription model of Credentially.

Exploring the Comparison: Credentially vs Outsourcing

Delving into the heart of the matter, a comparative evaluation between Credentially and outsourcing unveils distinct aspects worth considering:

Cost Efficiency:

The cost narrative varies significantly across both platforms. Outsourcing, although alleviating the need for in-house resources, often carries a substantial cost per candidate. On the flip side, Credentially presents an economical solution with a monthly fee based on the number of users and a volume discount, making it particularly advantageous for agencies with higher recruitment volumes. The more you onboard, the cheaper Credentially is for you.

Time-Saving:

Time is a critical factor in the competitive market, and Credentially shines in this regard. Its automated processes significantly reduce the time-to-hire, a vital efficiency in today's fast-paced recruitment landscape. Conversely, with its manual processes, outsourcing may not provide the same efficiency level, potentially leading to extended hiring cycles.

Control and Transparency:

Credentially provides real-time updates and a transparent view of the candidate's progression through the onboarding process, ensuring you're always informed. In contrast, outsourcing may fall short of providing this level of transparency and control, potentially resulting in communication gaps and delayed responses.

Candidate Experience:

Credentially offers a seamless, user-friendly interface. Candidates can easily upload documents, complete onboarding via mobile devices, utilise e-signatures, and, importantly, track their onboarding journey, ensuring engagement. In contrast, working with an external agency might leave candidates in the dark, potentially causing frustration due to communication issues and delays.

‍Compliance Assurance:

Compliance is a critical, non-negotiable aspect of healthcare recruitment. Credentially's automated compliance checks provide a streamlined and accurate approach, ensuring adherence to CQC standards. With its manual verification processes, outsourcing may be susceptible to human errors, which could prove costly in the long run.

‍

In Conclusion, The Verdict

Navigating the demanding realms of healthcare recruitment in the UK requires a harmonious blend of cost efficiency, time management, and unwavering compliance assurance. 

Outsourcing emerges as a viable contender for those with sporadic hiring needs or smaller recruitment volumes, offering a pay-per-use model that aligns costs with actual recruitment activities. It's a ready-to-embark solution with a wealth of seasoned compliance expertise. 

On the flip side, Credentially, with its robust automation, significantly trims down the time-to-hire and administrative burdens, presenting itself as a potent ally for agencies with higher recruitment volumes. Its subscription model could potentially translate to substantial cost savings as recruitment scales up. Moreover, the real-time updates and transparent onboarding process it offers ensure you remain at the helm, navigating the compliance landscape with precision. It's an innovative solution that resonates with the modern-day emphasis on digital agility and streamlined operations.

Whichever route you choose, ensuring it resonates with your operational ethos and long-term strategic vision is paramount to navigating the UK healthcare recruitment domain effectively and efficiently.

For a deeper dive into Credentially's offerings, book a demo with them to explore its potential fit for your organisation and gain insights into how it can propel your recruitment processes into heightened efficiency and compliance assurance.