Raising performance – how 247 Time is helping to boost standards at recruitment agencies

As part on its ongoing philosophy of improving standards, 247 Time has been working with its agency community to assist them in raising performance, across several key areas.

The latest report makes for interesting reading.

The reason for 247 Time introducing performance management was to understand more closely where we were having to spend time on unnecessarily managing agencies and where it should be handling our own business in accordance with the standards required.

Our experience when we introduced administration fees was seeing a marked improvement in agencies in processing within the required timetable. So, looking across other actions we are being asked to perform, it was clear that we had a band of recruitment agencies that consistently required 247 Time to intervene and this may not have always been transparent to NHS Trusts. So, in order to let those agencies know who we see as star performers and those who were performing below standards, we introduced Agency Performance Management.

To give you some background, in late 2017, we informed agencies that we would be introducing a way of measuring each of them against their peers. We measured many matrices, including; number of support tickets they sent to 247 Time for action, how many times they called our support team, how many times they failed to action timesheets on time, how many timesheets were processed off framework and a number of other aspects that operationally, were important and we could measure.

The initial results were published to them individually in March 2018. The proviso was that, for those who were falling below standards, they could review their own results and drive internally, whatever means they could to address any areas. We informed them the next measurement was to take place across April, May & June, with these results published to trusts in July.

To give some credence to how this works across the mindset of agencies, we’ve seen already seen significant performance improvements as agencies clearly, would not wish to be shown as failing, when measured against their peers.

These represent some impressive results and I’m equally confident that, as a result, NHS Trusts will have also seen some improvement in operational aspects of supply. Our aim ultimately, is to have all agencies that supply to be placed within two highest performer categories.

Incidentally, we have taken into account weighting on these results, so that those agencies who supply many candidates should have an allowable number of calls on 247 Time. Equally, those who supply infrequently, have a much smaller allowance.

The method we have adopted in coming to a fair analysis of the data, is to breakdown agencies into four separate bands.

Stars: These are agencies that we consider to be achieving consistently in managing their business.

Performers: These represent where we would like most agencies to be. We recognise that in some cases, it could be certain branches or areas that need improvement. However, generally, these agencies represent those of little or no concern.

Under performers: These agencies are those would with good management have scope to improve and we are available to help them address those areas where they are failing to deliver to the standards we expect. Ongoing we will work with them to address issues we experience.

Below expectations: There is unfortunately, always going to be a small percentage that require some high degree of hand holding for them to attain the level of trading we require. Our objective with these agencies is to get them to progress to the next level and upwards into given time, becoming performers.

By delivering our performance management review to the NHS, we aim to show directly, the experience we have in acting as a gatekeeper of recruitment and HR services to NHS Trusts.