Covid-19 workforce solutions

With sharp and sustained rises in demand for key groups such as critical care nurses, respiratory specialists, bio-medical scientists and psychiatry professionals, our teams are also supporting the NHS with a dependable direct supply of the specialist staff needed to respond to the pandemic and resume normal services.

As a leading healthcare Managed Service Provider (MSP) and an established NHS workforce partner, we have a proven track record of delivering workforce programmes at scale and pace and can supply both clinical and non-clinical staff via our sister brands, and broad network of supply chain partners.

Medacs Healthcare is currently working directly with the Department of Health and Social Care and ICS-level strategic programme leads, delivering end-to-end managed staffing services for thousands of workers needed for ongoing testing and vaccination programmes.

Building additional capacity for vaccine delivery without impacting critical care services.

As an MSP for mass vaccination programmes, the expertise of our SEQOHS-accredited Occupational Health teams is of critical importance. They bring 15 years of experience coordinating the safe and efficient delivery of flu vaccination clinics at scale, with immunisations managed by trained, certified and insured clinical professionals, supported by ancillary staff.

With mounting pressures on the delivery of acute care services, it is vital that providers build in extra contingent capacity for vaccine centres, so existing NHS staff can stay on front lines, where they are most needed.

Since the start of the pandemic, Medacs Healthcare and Blue Arrow have been building robust workforces to support a range of COVID-19 vaccination and testing programmes. As approved suppliers on 16 national frameworks, we can mobilise contingent workers at pace and scale.

We comply fully with NHS Employment Standards and the unique competency assessment and training requirements of clinical and non-clinical vaccination staff. Our Chief Medical Officer and Director of Clinical Services are integral to the assurance of our governance standards.

In response to Covid-19, we have adapted the ‘additional capacity’ model we use for winter pressures to support the NHS to boost staffing levels in line with regional surges in demand.

As a framework-compliant model it enables healthcare providers to temporarily ramp up their nursing capacity, incorporate specific training (e.g. infection control), improve continuity of care and avoid the high agency costs associated with last minute bookings.

We are supporting multiple clients with volume specialist staffing requirements, originating either as a result of pandemic-related pressures or as part of specific Covid-19 workforce programmes. The niche and hard-to-find roles we are resourcing range from respiratory specialists and occupational health nurses to bio-medical scientists and clinicians with insourcing experience.

Our international teams have also been working around the clock since borders reopened, leveraging our established global networks to supply the weekly cohorts of professionals the NHS needs in record time.

We have performed Risk Assessments for thousands of healthcare professionals this year, using a bespoke stratification tool developed by our independent Clinical Governance team that allows workers to be categorised in a non-discriminatory way. Protecting vulnerable and BME workers is a key priority for us, and our approach is now considered by regulators to represent industry best practice.

Medacs Healthcare's Occupational Health business can also provide more in-depth Workplace Risk Assessments, designed to support employers across multiple sectors to manage the complexities of returning staff to workplaces.

With the Covid-19 response impacting on resource availability in other areas, many NHS trusts are seeking to free up capacity by outsourcing the recruitment, onboarding and management of the healthcare professionals they need.

As framework-approved suppliers for both Managed Staff Banks and RPO services, we have a proven track record managing the supply of both flexible and substantive staf