Working hours. Hardy annuals

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Nursing Workforce Optimization
• Staffing Efficiency

Background:

• Hospitals face challenges in efficient nurse deployment and controlling staffing costs.
• Reliance on agency nurses and bank staff can lead to increased expenditure and workflow disruptions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of annual-hours contracts with on-call and stand-down duties on nursing staff deployment.
• To assess the effect of this contract model on the utilization of agency and bank nursing staff.
• To determine the overall impact on healthcare staffing costs and staff satisfaction.

Main Methods:

• Implementation of annual-hours contracts for nursing staff, incorporating on-call and stand-down provisions.
• Monitoring staff deployment patterns and workload management in relation to contract type.
• Tracking the utilization rates of agency nurses and bank staff.
• Analyzing staffing costs before and after the implementation of the new contract model.
• Surveying staff satisfaction and preferences regarding the annual-hours contracts.

Main Results:

• Annual-hours contracts facilitated more efficient staff deployment aligned with patient workload.
• A significant reduction in the reliance on agency nurses and bank staff was observed.
• Overall staffing costs were demonstrably reduced through this contract model.
• The majority of nursing staff participating in the pilot chose to continue with annual-hours contracts.

Conclusions:

• Annual-hours contracts incorporating on-call and stand-down duties represent an effective strategy for optimizing nurse deployment.
• This model offers a sustainable approach to reducing healthcare staffing costs by minimizing agency use.
• Staff acceptance and preference for annual-hours contracts suggest a positive impact on workforce morale and retention.