Why bottom-up architecture is the future of WFM solutions
This article explores 5 common drawbacks of legacy tools and how next-generation, bottom-up architecture unlocks revenue growth.
Building a staff schedule couldn’t be easier.
Reduce payroll errors with real-time T&A.
Fill 50% more shifts with your own employees.
Ensure shifts are covered even if you're understaffed.
Manage absence requests and approvals.
Practical ways to boost team morale with proven examples from across the sector.
Find out what care employees say matters to them most at work.
Search and view employees with customised permission levels.
Key employment information all in one place.
Store visas, professional certifications and more with easy access.
Control personal and operational details of your staff.
Why are people leaving Social Care, and where are they going?
We asked 250 Social Care leaders about their attitudes towards digitisation and their plans for the next 12 months...
Why are Hospitality workers leaving the industry, and what can you do to retain them?
Share updates with a single click.
Staff can see relevant messages in one place.
Request post-shift feedback from staff.
Recognise staff contributions by sending them praise.
Identify staff at risk of churning.
How care organisations can embrace flexible working and thrive.
Maintain quality of care and reduce costs.
Maximise profitability through AI-powered forecasting & scheduling.
Elevate your operational efficiency and guest satisfaction.
Streamline operations across sites.
Developed alongside Social Care experts with decades of combined experience.
See why we are the leading user-friendly, end-to-end platform that prioritises both efficiency and wellbeing.
More information is coming soon. Talk to us today.
Give staff greater visibility of shifts available to work, with a simple "shift claim" process to increase their income.
Improve employee engagement and retention with a seamless employee communication platform.
Happier staff provide greater customer experiences, which in turn drives return rates, revenues and recommendations.
Give staff greater visibility of shifts available to work, with a simple "shift claim" process to increase their income.
Improve employee engagement and retention with a seamless employee communication platform.
Happier staff provide greater customer experiences, which in turn drives return rates, revenues and recommendations.
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Downloadable templates, reports and guides from Sona.
New research, insights, and strategies for frontline leaders.
Stay up to date with the latest Sona news and research.
Learn how our customers are transforming their people operations.
| 7 min read
This article explores 5 common drawbacks of legacy tools and how next-generation, bottom-up architecture unlocks revenue growth.
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This essential guide explains the evolution of WFM and why AI-driven technologies will influence the way organisations are run in the long-term.
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We’re excited to announce that Sona has raised £22m to help large organisations move from legacy systems to a truly intelligent AI-driven WFM solution.
PUBLISHED: August 2024
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Find out if your tech supports your business goals!
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How to invest in management solutions that pay for themselves
According to new reports, nursing agency spending in the NHS rose by 20% last year. While there is no quick fix to the UK’s nursing shortage, technology can help reduce agency usage and costs. Read on to learn how.
5 minute read
Many were shocked by last week’s headlines claiming that the NHS is so desperately short of nurses it is paying up to £2,500 a shift for agency staff.
While that eye-popping figure is very much an outlier, the broader trends are equally concerning.
The NHS caps agency rates at 55% above the ‘normal’ rate - unless patient safety is at risk. Last year, agencies were paid more than the cap for 40% of nurse shifts. As a result, more than a third of trusts said their most expensive nursing shifts cost more than £1,000.
In 2021, the cumulative effect was £500m more spent on agency nurses, taking the total to £3bn.
The situation is similar in social care, where nurses are just one of several vital roles in short supply. Providers can pay up to three times the hourly rate to fill vacancies at short notice.
The simple answer is market dynamics, though the reality is more complex. One in ten NHS posts is currently vacant - 130,000 roles. There are a further 165,000 vacancies in social care - that's a deficit of around 300,000.
The direct impact is a greater need for temporary staff to provide the hours these services require. But higher demand for agency staff and a static or decreasing labour supply also makes agency work more attractive to those currently in contracted roles.
As if that wasn’t enough of a vicious cycle, service demand is only expected to grow. So even if the NHS or social care became fully staffed, more staff are needed to maintain service levels.
In its response to the most recent media reports, the Government said it expects spending to fall by at least 10% this year due to the cap.
Northern Ireland will ban its health and social care trusts from using agency social workers from June 2023. Agency workers will be offered permanent contracts instead.
The Government also says a new workforce plan is in development to “help ensure the health service has the staff it needs in the future”.
Later this week, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will set out his economic plans. How he and Chancellor Jeremy Hunt hope to balance the UK’s finances will tell us more about what, if any, funding will be channelled into health services. Sector leaders have repeatedly asked for more money to help with soaring costs, including recruitment and staffing.
A lack of flexibility in healthcare roles is one of the main reasons people are deciding to leave the sector. For example, 90% say they would benefit from more flexibility, yet 71% have little or no say over when they’re working.
Our Flex Appeal report found there is strong interest from staff in new ways of working such as a four-day working week as standard, split shifts, and flexible hours.
Giving employees more say over their schedules can result in them picking up more shifts overall. Numerous studies have shown a correlation between greater flexibility, lower burnout, and work-related stress. That means fewer sick days, so less additional cover should be required.
Keeping great people is always important. But when recruitment is more challenging, it becomes imperative - even more so when large numbers of people are leaving the sector entirely.
Higher retention rates don’t just mean fewer shift vacancies; they are closely related to increased productivity and better continuity and quality of care.
Providers should focus on:
Our customers are reducing agency costs by up to 40% by using Sona to fill more vacant shifts.
Sona’s Shift Filler is a new way to fill gaps in your rota with your own staff instead of using an agency. It effectively creates an ‘internal marketplace’ for shifts, enabling eligible employees to pick overtime shifts in seconds across locations.
Because customers can see significant reductions in agency hours used in just weeks, this is a particularly effective way of making in-year savings on staffing costs.
You can find out how Shift Filler works in more detail here and see your potential savings using our handy calculator.
The right technology will also make it easier to implement, administer and sustain new ways of working and enable you to maximise the capacity of your existing workforce:
Workforce shortages across all sectors need to be addressed through innovative initiatives that look to the future. The focus should be on shaping more flexible workforce models that help local systems meet the needs of people – all people – who are in turn empowered to take a more active role in their own wellbeing.
This is Sona’s mission, and Shift Filler is just the start. We’re on a mission to completely transform the future of health and social care work by making powerful workforce technology more accessible and easier to use than ever before. We hope you’ll join us for the ride.
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5 min read
Streamlining shift management through Sona's app and platform has transformed Praxis’ operations, given time back to managers, and reduced agency costs.
8 min read
Looking to learn more about reducing agency spend? Here are a few actionable tips that might help!
4 min read
Learn how Sona's shift management software and employee app are delivering significant ROI for our social care customers, including helping them to cut staffing agency spending by up to 40%