We are thrilled that our partnership with Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust (MSE) has won the Best Acute Sector with the NHS HSJ Partnership Award 2023. This is a tremendous achievement and a true testament to the hard work and dedication of our team, as well as the remarkable partnership we have built with MSE.

We do things differently at Locum’s Nest; we don’t just implement technology and wave goodbye. Instead, we offer a service behind our technology nurtured by our people; a genuine place of care towards every Trust we work with, providing a bespoke approach to understanding their needs.

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the NHS, an institution that has been at the heart of the UK’s healthcare system since its inception. The NHS has transformed the lives of millions of people, providing care and support to those who need it most. One of the most pressing NHS challenges is the staffing crisis, which threatens to undermine the quality of care provided by the NHS. The NHS workforce, although undoubtedly one of the greatest assets of our health and social care system, is also currently one of the most affected parts of the NHS.

In the fast-paced world of healthcare, technology plays a critical role in ensuring the efficient and effective delivery of patient care. From electronic health records to telemedicine, digital solutions are transforming the way our healthcare system works and how we interact with it. The successful integration of these technologies into healthcare systems has the potential to improve patient outcomes, reduce costs, and increase efficiency.

Workforce technology has tremendous potential to streamline and support processes within the NHS, increasing operational efficiency and service delivery. However within that, there is more than meets the eye when it comes to how workforce technology can also support staff wellbeing.

At Locum’s Nest, we believe that when people can work flexibly, they can stay in the jobs they love for longer; which is why we’re driven to transform flexible working in the NHS for over 50,000 healthcare professionals, using our workforce technology solutions. Of course, none of this would be possible without an internal culture of trust, autonomy, and flexibility for our colleagues, which is why we are delighted to have won the Flexa100 awards for 2023, ranking as number 1!

The Somerset, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire (SWaG) Collaborative Staff Bank was born as a joint grassroots venture led by various NHS Trusts and aims to improve and support the way the NHS operates in the surrounding region. Together, the Trusts are able to provide more comprehensive coverage for their patients and improve continuity of care, maximising the strength of their collective staff pools.

Over 4,000 years ago, ancient Babylonian were said to have started the tradition of New Year’s resolutions and reflections, which has since taken many different forms and continues to be part of our lives today. At Locum’s Nest, we’re continuing the tradition! The team has spent some time reflecting on what a rollercoaster of a year 2022 has been and the impact of collaboration across the NHS.

As the temperature drops and the days grow darker, it’s more important than ever to focus on being kind to our minds and looking after our winter wellbeing. My name is Dr Stephanie Slater, I’m a GP and You Okay, Doc? (YOD) ambassador. I was diagnosed with Anxiety and Depression in 2019. These days I’m on a mission to end the stigma and I encourage everybody to look after their mental health, just as they would their physical.

Lara Houchou, our Marketing Engagement Specialist, reflects on this year’s NHS Providers conference - one of the first big F2F events since the beginning of the pandemic. As old colleagues reunited in 3D glory for the first time in a long time, a renewed drive and passion for collaboration, learning, and connecting also followed.

We’ve been working with North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust since 2018 on various workstreams to support the Trust’s workforce improvement and help overcome its challenges. In the spirit of collaboration, we are using our platform to celebrate their cooperative spirit and share best practices around workforce management.

In this article, we show how NHS Trusts can use digital workforce solutions to work towards the NHS’s ambitious target of becoming net zero by 2045. Locum’s Nest workforce technology offers substantial benefits to NHS organisations by eradicating paper-based processes, digitising and simplifying processes. All this ultimately helps reduce CO2 emissions in the long term and supports the NHS on its journey to achieve net zero by 2045.

Recently I attended the London South Bank University (LSBU) Dame Elizabeth Anionwu Annual Lecture, ‘Celebrating Inclusivity in Nursing and Midwifery’. The lecture commemorates Dame Elizabeth, declared as one of the 70 most influential nurses and midwives in the history of the NHS, receiving countless honours & awards for her work.

In this article, we highlight how NHS Trusts have increased flexibility, agility and transparency with their workforce through a committed bank-first approach, benefiting the Trust and healthcare professionals. Through every step of the funnel, we show how NHS Trusts have the best possible chance of filling shifts with their staff bank in a user-friendly, efficient and straightforward way.

The Co-Founder of Scrubbed In and Peerr shares his story from growing up to studying medicine and becoming an entrepreneur in the field of socialising education. “Fresh faced and straight out of college, I entered King’s College London for the first time to study Medicine. It just happened that the first guy I sat down next to was Amz, little did I know it would be the start of so many amazing things to come.”

The Kent and Medway ICS is forming its cloud-based medics collaborative bank, enabled by Locum’s Next, to allow clinicians to cross-cover shifts across 6 NHS Trusts - exponentially expanding the size of individual Trusts’ staff pool, and ultimately deliver more patient care hours.

Identified by the Financial Times as one of the fastest-growing companies in Europe in 2021, Locum’s Nest has already saved the NHS over £750m in the last 5 years. On top of that, our data shows we will save in excess of the 10% required by NHSE, so why stop at 10%?

The transition from medical student to doctor is often a turbulent time. In this article, Locum Paediatric Doctor and You Okay, Doc? Ambassador, Dr Natasha Holmes, shares some advice and resources on how to get through this challenging time.

In this article, we share why flexibility is of paramount importance to the immediate future of the NHS and look at key data metrics coming from the recent NHS Staff Survey, signifying an undoubtedly higher demand for more flexible working across the NHS.

Ross Elledge, Consultant Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon & ‘You Okay, Doc?’ Ambassador, writes about his experience with stress as a healthcare professional, and shares his tools for managing stress including mindfulness and tips about meditation.