NHS behind the scenes: Meet the staffing systems team

35-year-old Laura Hewson joined the staffing systems team in 2012. Since then, she has worked her way up the ranks to her current role as staffing systems lead.

Based at the University Hospital of North Tees, she and the team work closely with clinical teams to ensure staffing across hospital wards and community services.

As we look for new recruits to join our staffing systems team, we sat down with Laura to find out a little more about what the team do and the role they play in supporting patient care.

What led to your role in staffing systems?

I joined North Tees in 2009, starting off in the payroll team. I moved into the staffing systems team in 2012 and over time, progressed into the staffing systems lead role.

I’m currently part-way through doing my master’s degree in Global Leadership and Management in Healthcare. It’s been tough, trying to juggle all things life, but my line manager and the team have really supported me so I can continue with my professional development as well.

What does staffing systems entail?

In short, we support with all things rostering and temporary staffing. We work closely with our colleagues on the wards – making sure we have the right people, in the right place, at the right time.

Patient safety is at the forefront of all that we do, and our role is about trying to balance that as best we possibly can with cost and maximum efficiency.

A large part of our role is around implementing e-rostering software in departments, and training and supporting our clinical colleagues to access, understand and use these. To be in line with national legislation, we need to make sure that at least 90% of our clinical staff have an e-rostering account. It means that we’re offering our own staff the opportunity to pick up extra shifts, rather than outsourcing staff – keeping everything in-house where we can.

The system also allows teams to plan their annual leave in advance and we know some departments use a flexible roster, so staff can choose their own off-duty shifts. It means staff can be flexible and autonomous with their shifts to suit their needs – something we know improves productivity and team culture.

There’s no typical day in the staffing systems office. We need to be dynamic and creative to be able to flex with the needs of the organisation. We in the team often say ‘every day is a school day!’

What do you love about your role?

I love that no two days are the same. Our work streams allow me to challenge myself professionally in a way that’s really fulfilling.

We also have the privilege of working with staff right across our hospitals and communities, clinical and non-clinical. There’s so much opportunity to network with multi-disciplinary teams in our organisation and I really enjoy that collaborative, relationship-building element.

We’re always learning from and alongside a wide network of teams so the potential career progression opportunities are wide.

Any advice for someone considering joining the team?

Prepare to be innovative and don’t be afraid to contribute new ideas. We work in a fast-paced hospital environment and are always looking for new ideas and creative ways of working to make sure our clinical staff are supported and our patients and communities are getting the care they deserve.