NHS remote working - can it work?

The Covid-19 pandemic was responsible for a seismic shift in the job market, with many workers forced to abandon their usual routines as home working became the norm. Office workers everywhere moved into makeshift home offices, with business meetings taking place over Zoom in place of the conference room. 

Now, as we gingerly step into 2021 with the long-awaited Covid-19 vaccine offering some salvation, we find ourselves plunged once again into lockdown, in an attempt to control the spread of Covid-19’s latest, more transmissible variant. 

What does this mean for the NHS?

Not surprisingly, we are witnessing yet another huge increase in demand for NHS services, not only as a result of the pandemic itself, but also because of the Covid-19 vaccination programme, which is adding substantial additional pressure to already overstretched services.

Not to mention the delays to elective procedures, cancer screening and routine treatments is likely to have a significant hidden impact in the months and years to come whilst NHS waiting lists are reportedly at a 12-year high.

The ongoing pandemic has placed an undeniable strain on the infrastructure, resources and staff in the healthcare sector, which shows no signs of abating. Many health sector workers do not have the luxury of working from home during the Covid-19 pandemic. They are one of the groups at highest risk from the virus, which is why right now, we need to protect and support our healthcare workers more than ever before. 

What can be done to support the healthcare sector?

The NHS needs to: 

• Support and protect staff 
• Augment staffing levels in the fight against Covid-19 and in order to meet the demands of the vaccination programme
• Manage other services including elective procedures, screening and routine treatments

Although working from home is not a viable option for all staff in the healthcare sector, there are a surprising number of functions and responsibilities which can, in fact, be carried out remotely. We need to support NHS providers by facilitating remote working and protecting the safety of existing staff members - particularly those at highest risk of exposure to Covid-19 - wherever possible in order to help them meet the unprecedented demands the service is currently facing.

The NHS should: 

• Identify those roles which can effectively be carried out remotely
• Increase the potential for tele-working (not just for supportive roles, but also for clinical roles such as triage, on-call staff etc.)
• Ensure that a strong infrastructure is in place to enable staff to carry out these duties efficiently and in line with CQC and data protection standards
• Offer remote recruitment of healthcare workers, including sign-up, verification and training to augment staffing levels, bolster the vaccination programme and reduce patient wait times
• Facilitate remote management of staff (e.g. by establishing a robust online infrastructure for support and supervision) in order to minimise risk of transmission and support the well-being of team members.

How Credentially can help

Credentially can help the NHS to build a flexible workforce in order to meet the demands placed on services by both the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and the vaccination programme.

Our innovative software has provided our customers - urgent care centres, hospitals and ambulance trusts - with the ability to streamline their hiring processes. Last year, at the height of the pandemic, we helped to recruit over 3,000 clinicians for the life-saving Covid Clinical Assessment Service.

No gimmicks, no surprises. Just an efficient, easy-to-use platform which will save you money, thousands of wasted clinical hours and help you establish a flexible workforce - safely - when you need it the most. 

Get in touch to find out more about how Credentially can help.