Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust has saved more than £565,000 since introducing digital workforce management tools in 2023.

Since going live with a tech-led rostering and internal staff bank solution from Patchwork Health, the trust has filled more than 240,000 shift hours between August 2023 and August 2025 using its existing temporary staff pool, equating to the work of 98 full-time staff members over the same period.

More than 17,500 shifts have been filled in the last 12 months, which represents a 37% increase compared to the previous year.

Steve Tricker, associate director of people operations at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells, said: “We’re delighted with the impact we’ve seen from our partnership with Patchwork over the last two years.

“As a trust, we’re committed to giving our staff the support and flexibility they need to deliver world class care, so it’s great to see these solutions are bringing tangible improvements to clinicians’ working lives.

“Given the ongoing pressure to reduce workforce spend across the NHS, the financial savings we’ve achieved since introducing the technology have been critical to supporting more sustainable, efficient service delivery.

“We’re excited to continue this collaboration and build on the positive results seen so far.”

The rostering and bank technology, developed by Patchwork Health, has improved how the trust tackles rota gaps and temporary workforce needs, with almost 1,300 clinicians  joining the digital staff bank since it launched.

Management teams can access insights, identify pinch-points and advertise vacant shifts through the software and clinicians can book annual leave, view rotas and secure additional shifts.

Rostering data from the trust shows that 86% of annual leave requests from substantive workers are submitted more than one week in advance, with more than two thirds (67%) being submitted at least seven weeks ahead of time.

Since implementing the solution, Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells has been able to plug potential staffing gaps further in advance, with bank shifts filled an average of 13 days ahead of time in the last 12 months, compared to six days the previous year.

Dr Anas Nader, former A&E doctor and chief executive at Patchwork Health, said: “It’s great to see that the work being done at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells is bearing fruit.

“The results they’ve seen over the last two years are proof, if it were needed, that flexible, sustainable staffing in healthcare is not a pipedream.

“Supported by the right tools and data-driven insights, NHS trusts have consistently shown that they have both the skills and the willpower to build a workforce management system that works for everybody.”

Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells has also committed to implementing Patchwork Health’s medical job planning software, designed and powered by L2P.

Since Patchwork Health acquired L2P in November 2024, 17 healthcare organisations have adopted one or more of the firm’s job planning, appraisal or revalidation solutions.