The challenges:
- To improve the quality of reporting for HR Directors.
- To reduce the cost of the department.
- To reduce bank and agency staff spend.
- To fill vacancies more quickly.
- To improve candidate recruitment experience.
The technical solution:
- Procured Blue Prism and service from a commercial partner initially, then built up own Trust-wide in-house automation team over time.
Processes automated using RPA:
- Sending offer letters
- Inter Authority Transfer (IAT) requests when hiring existing NHS staff from other NHS organisations
- Payroll hire
- Return of candidates’ paperwork
- Pre-employment checks.
Benefits:
- Fill vacancies more quickly which has reduced reliance on bank and agency staff.
- Staff free from data input tasks developed to add-value, such as working with managers to improve job adverts and short listing criteria, run more recruitment open days.
- Changed the service from transaction based to consultancy ‘value-add’.
- Improved departmental resilience as automated processes run more quickly than humans, are less error-prone, not affected by sickness absence.
- Increased recruitment experience for candidates and department employees.
- WTE savings through natural attrition (no redundancies)
Other points to note:
- Initial investment was paid back in 18 months.
- Read another case study on this work on the NHS Employers website.
Contact for further information:
- Gareth Jones, Director of Employment Services, North London Partners Shared Services.
Email: gareth.jones12@nhs.net
This case study is one in a series exploring the use of RPA in various NHS settings. It forms part of a guide produced by the West of England AHSN sharing our learning around RPA.
Read the full guide online here or download the guide as a PDF here.
