Technology

A24Group; driving change in healthcare staffing through technology and expertise

Technology is the game changer when it comes to hiring healthcare talent.

The A24Group’s use of ICT in staffing solutions have produced great benefits, including improved efficiency, communication and overall service delivery.

Our development team has invested 600 000 hours building a cutting-edge staffing system and candidate database; Staffshift and the Staffshift app.

With features specifically designed to enable the acquisition of top talent, and the provision of 24-hour, high-quality staffing services, from compliant, trained and experienced agency staff.

Our innovative use of technology brings together the specialist agencies and agency staff to deliver fully managed and convenient medical staffing solutions.

Don’t just take our word for it 

At A24Group, we are committed to providing exceptional service to both our clients and candidates. We understand the importance of trust and transparency in the staffing industry, which is why we have partnered with Trustpilot to collect and showcase our reviews. Have a look at the Trustpilot rating for A24Group – we are Excellent, based on over 1500 real reviews from real people - discover what our clients and candidates have to say. 

Our tech-enabled approach has helped our clients save time, money, and resources while improving the quality of staffing services. How has tech changed the hiring process?  

  • Gone are the days where employers could place an advert in a newspaper and wait for the phone calls and CVs. Then, wade through 100s of CVs and screen candidates, filing paperwork in filing cabinets, card index boxes and so on. With unconscious bias and hiring discrimination in the mix, finding the right staffing solution in time remains a major challenge.

    Nowadays recruitment has removed the bias, and technology has helped with this by automating and standardising the recruitment process and by providing objective data on candidate qualifications and skills. However, change does not remove all challenges.

    Recruiters today have to deal with tremendous noise, as they must be proficient at dealing with the numerous new online job platforms, and systems. As the number of skilled candidates fills up dramatically, skills acquisition is the top priority for finding top candidates. It can become extremely hard to pin down candidates who you need to have work, in a specific speciality or skill.

    A24Group has transformed this process enabling our recruiters to deal with many 1000s of candidates at once. Recruitment for us has transitioned into an analysis of skill acquisition, and talent stacking, ensuring that quality candidates with the right skills surface to the top of the electronic pile.

    As A24Group candidates transition through our various stages of credential checking, our in-house tech, Staffshift, intuitively guides them through the complex compliance required by the healthcare industry, and avatars and videos prompt them on their way. The goal is to reach the pinnacle of compliance as demonstrated by our Compliance Passport.

Leveraging technology to provide innovative and differentiated staffing solutions   

The complexity of medical credentialing and the compliance processes has had our development team working late into the night. To put it simply, it is a case of developing the processes needed to guide our candidates through to clearance, how we as an ethical and compliant business ensure that we get the right candidate vetted and properly cleared, in a way that enables us to be 100% confident that the person we are providing to our end user has the skills, background and experience they say they have. 

  • The multiple visas, work permits, nationalities and variances of each of these makes ensuring all our candidates have the Right to Work a total nightmare. Our systems enable us to create a workflow that manages each of these variances, it enables us to verify documents in accordance with Home Office requirements and allows us to store these copies and each and every version ever provided by the candidate.

  • Staffshift manages expiry dates to ensure adequate notice is given to candidates that their vital documents are due to expire (for example Right to Work, Revalidation, DBS, Training, etc.). Notices are conveniently flagged in our candidates’ Compliance Passport, which is followed up with messages via email, Staffshift chat and WhatsApp. Our systems will prior to the expiry of their visa or required documentation, move the candidate automatically out of a bookable status.

  • Our systems will not let our consultants provide any candidate to a client who is not compliant or does not have valid Right to Work documentation. We also use handheld scanners to check validity of immigration documentation.

  • Every night our systems automatically check the Nursing and Midwifery Council register, to ensure that all nurses professional registrations are still in place, and they haven't lapsed or been removed from the register. The same process is followed annually to check South African Nursing Council registrations. This information automatically updates to our systems as well as providing a report to the consultants and moving the candidate out of a bookable status.

  • A24Group candidates must complete their compliance references thoroughly and maintain an up-to-date work history. This ensures we only send the appropriately qualified, vetted and certified staff, to the end user. Only candidates with the appropriate (basic to highly specific) compliance level will be in a bookable status, depending on the clients’ requirements.

Book the specific staff you need, whenever you need them

Client specific compliance: book the specific staff you need, whenever you need them 

What really sets A24Group bookings apart, is the availability of highly specific healthcare staff, at any time.

Client specific compliance allows us to tailor and manage at scale each and every client's needs. With our bespoke and very powerful rule engine we can create a compliance contract tailored to each client. This allows us to strategically clear our candidates ahead of time for our client needs, making sure we only book fully vetted, experienced and compliant candidates for each client, no matter how specific their needs are. Complimented with automated timesheet and payroll solutions, we are able to provide our clients with exceptional value.

A real-world example is this case study on an hour in the life of Ambition24hours Nursing Agency:

  • A major London teaching hospital calls A24Group after a nurse has phoned in sick: A&E needs a specialist nurse urgently for the 06:00 shift.

  • Tim, an Ambition24hours consultant who took the call, checks the secure on-line diary and database for qualified nurses who are registered with A24Group. He selects local candidates who have worked at and know the hospital.

  • Tim reaches out to six A24Group nurses via Staffshift Chat. Nurse Mary, a mother and part-time worker, replies first. Tim phones her immediately and confirms the shift details.

  • Nurse Mary arrives at the hospital for the shift.

Case Management 

Homecare and complex care patients, clients and families require exceptional case management. With care requirements ranging from a minimum of 4-hours to 24/7 support. It is essential for the care team and family to be consistent in the care provided and received. This ensures that we maintain continuity and provide person centred support. Our innovative smart tech partnerships enable staff to provide the most effective and caring service. A24Group’s information and communication technology in collaboration with Staffshift, allows us to provide: 

  • Individualized care management at scale: from assessing and updating care plans, risk assessments and setting outcomes, to medication management and scheduling tasks, our agency staff, care coordinators and auditors can access and manage individual patients’ records and manage their care with ease.  

  • Transparency and accountability through auditing: A24Group welcomes audits with calm and confidence. All the data and evidence we need for regulatory compliance, appraisals and third parties, is securely kept up to date and available at any time with required consent.   

  • Maintaining meaningful relationships through communication: Building and maintaining relationships with clients, families and patients is paramount. By sharing information, we build trust; A24Group has accurate, real-time information from colleagues, reassuring updates for family members and crucial life-saving data for agency staff and third parties.   

Case Management

Staffshift 

Our booking system and our app, allows our consultants to quickly add any available assignments to our system. Within seconds these assignments are presented to our candidates (based on a skills match) on our mobile app. Not only do we show them the available assignments, but we also show them whether their compliance level makes them eligible for the shifts. In the case where they do not meet eligibility requirements, we are making it easy for candidates to see what exactly is required to enhance their compliance status for that shift and how to achieve better compliance health; and thus, more career opportunities, continuous development and ultimately better patient care. If they need further help, it is just a click away.  

  • Our unique approach democratizes the shifts, making it possible for each candidate to see exactly what is on offer and what is required.    

  • We also still allow our consultants to make use of Staffshift to find ideal candidates based on skills and compliance matches to reach out to candidates directly.  

Staffshift smart tech

  • Candidates can easily update their availability to work via our Staffshift app, ensuring that the consultants have a diary of when they are available or not. This is a strong signal for our booking consultants when they are finding suitable assignments for candidates. The Staffshift Availability and Compliance Passport features work in harmony, to provide our staff with the flexibility to set their own schedules, while offering clients a consistent choice of excellent candidates.

  • Our systems auto generate timesheets that are provided electronically to candidates. Timesheets are then signed by the clients and sent back to us. Our Staffshift app is tightly integrated with our payroll and invoicing systems, which reduce the chance for data capturing errors and helps us efficiently process thousands of timesheets a week. You can enjoy peace of mind, assured by the quality and accuracy of our service delivery.

  • Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks help us make safer recruitment decisions. We are part of the e-Bulk system, which allows us to do electronic DBS applications and get electronic responses back from the DBS. This reduces waiting times for DBS applications from the average of 6 weeks to in most cases 24-48 hours and usually no more than 9 days. Efficiency and enhanced productivity are always top of mind.

  • Promoting and maintaining the health of A24Group staff, candidates and the patients in their care is vital. Through Occupational Health Screening, A24Group implements systematic, objective, regular and appropriate procedures to determine whether a candidate is considered high or low risk. Our business tech screens candidates to set employment protocols, ensuring the candidates meet the framework criteria to be issued with a Fitness to Work Certificate for placement.

    When a candidate registers to work with us, they are required to evidence their fitness to work. A24Group candidates evidence their Occupational Health by:

    1. Completing an Occupational Health Medical Questionnaire - the New Starter Clinical Form, available on the Staffshift website

    2. Within 6 months of completion of their New Starter Clinical Form, the candidate is expected to evidence their immunity against common communicable diseases:

    • Hepatitis B - recent pathology report showing titre levels of > 100lu/l. If result is < 100lu/l, then a Hepatitis B Booster is required

    • Tuberculosis - OH/GP certificate of a positive scar or record of a positive skin test result. This result can be signed for by an OH nurse or doctor on the Occupational Health Questionnaire

    • Varicella - test showing positive result (immunity). Negative or equivocal results require re-vaccination. Written confirmation (self-certification) of having had chicken pox or shingles is also acceptable

    • Measles - proof of positive antibody for Measles. Negative or equivocal requires re-vaccination or proof that they have received two MMR vaccinations or proof that they have received two Measles vaccinations

    • Rubella - certificate of vaccination; or blood test result showing immunity (positive) or two vaccinations or two doses of MMR or > 15 UI/ml: Immune or 10 - 14 UI/ml: Low Level Immunity

    Once above evidence has been gathered, the compliance team will order a Fitness to Work Certificate with our Safe Effective Quality Occupational Health Service (SEQOHS) partner, Healthier Business. If all acceptable evidence is quantified, a Fitness to Work Certificate will be issued with a 12-month validity period. Through Staffshift’s Compliance Passport, A24Group is able to manage Occupational Health at scale. Candidates are automatically notified in advance when their Fitness to Work Certificate is due to expire. They also receive seamless communication and help portal guides so that candidates can maintain their Occupational Health status. If a candidates’ Fitness to Work Certificate lapses, they are automatically moved out of a bookable status.

  • Though we do everything possible to ensure exceptional services to all our clients, sometimes things do go wrong. The Complaints Management feature in our database allows for logging and tracking for all complaints. Some complaints require for the exclusion of a specific candidate to some or all clients. Based on the outcome of the complaints the decision for exclusion can be overturned, upheld or expanded. Complaints and exclusions can be as fine grained as a specific ward, site or organisation. We believe in getting things done right, the first time.

Focused on the future: delivering sustainable innovation in healthcare staffing 

Driven by a passion for delivering a quality service, the A24Group was one of the first providers to recognise the need for staffing suppliers to be ready and available to respond to emergency requirements for staff on a 24-7/365 basis. Today our relentless ambition and dedication to excellence is stronger than ever. 

The A24Group places over 100,000 hours of healthcare professionals weekly, operating on two continents, with a complement of over 350 recruiters and over 20,000 healthcare professionals. The group looks forward to a future of further opportunity and growth, in support of clients, candidates and patients. 

 

"Our reputation for good service, reliability and consistent safety is based upon the support team, the technology, the training and the facilities we have built over decades," says Founder, Penny Streeter OBE.

Discover the A24Group difference today 

Our team is ready to assist you in finding the right staffing solutions to enhance the lives of individuals under your care. Contact us now to discuss your requirements and take the first step toward better care, improved outcomes, and empowered individuals.