THE Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust was highly commended at a national awards ceremony for its use of a high-tech electronic system to ensure safe staffing levels.

The Trust was a finalist in the ‘project team of the year’ category at the annual Allocate Awards in Birmingham.

The Trust has used the HealthRoster staff management system since 2008.

It has since become one of the first Trusts in the country to roll out additional software called SafeCare and CAM.

The eRoster system enables the Trust to plan and manage the entire workforce to ensure staff are aligned with the clinical needs of patients.

The system covers all staff groups and types, whether permanent, bank or agency, and has helped the Trust to maintain and improve safety, quality, efficiency and compliance.

Darryn Allcorn, director of workforce and development, said: “We were delighted to be highly commended at the awards, particularly at a time when safe staffing is at the top of the national agenda.

“This is well-deserved recognition for the eRoster team, who have shown great commitment, dedication and innovation in their work.

“We were one of the first Trusts in the country to implement an add-on to our eRostering system which enables us to compare our staffing levels with the actual care needs of our patients on a shift by shift basis.

“We get real-time information which allows us to deploy staff to where there is the greatest need.

“Clinical and general managers are able to access the information when off site as the system is designed to work on tablets.”

Caroline Raby, eRoster operational lead, was asked to speak about the system at the Allocate Healthcare User Group Conference at The ICC, Birmingham, which preceded the awards ceremony.

Ian Bowles, chief executive of Allocate Software, said: “Our independent judging panel was impressed by the standard of this year’s entries, which is why the team at Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust should be proud of their achievement.”

The Trust has a high profile nationally in terms of safe staffing and its eRoster system.

It has fielded several visits and telephone calls from Trusts interested in the system used in Devon while Caroline has been invited to speak at number of events.