The rostering and bank technology, developed by the doctor-led team at Patchwork Health, has transformed how the trust tackles rota gaps and temporary workforce needs. Management teams can now access insights, identify pinch-points, and advertise vacant shifts in advance and in one place. Meanwhile, clinicians can book annual leave, view rotas, and secure additional shifts on their own terms, with 1,280 workers signed up to work via the internal staff bank so far.

Since launching in 2023, Patchwork Bank has helped the trust to fill more than 240,000 hours of critical frontline care, equating to the work of 98 full-time staff members over the same period. More than 17,500 shifts have been filled in the past 12 months, which represents a 37% increase compared to the previous year.

The trust says the tools have unlocked flexibility for staff, contributing to an improvement in staff retention rates and overall wellbeing among the clinicians at the trust. In addition, rostering data from the trust shows 86% of all annual leave requests from substantive workers are now submitted more than one week in advance, with 67% being submitted at least seven weeks ahead of time.

On average, bank shifts were filled almost two weeks (13 days) ahead of time in the -past 12 months, compared to just six days early in the previous year.  

The trust has also recently committed to implementing Patchwork's medical job planning software, designed and powered by L2P.

Steve Tricker, asssociate director of people operations at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust, said: '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.'

Dr Anas Nader, former A&E doctor and chief executive at Patchwork Health, added: '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.'