Strategic Recruitment Supports NHS Service Transition

When our client invested in an Electronic Prescription Management platform to improve speed of access to prescription services for its vast patient community, the implementation of this new service, came with the natural service continuity pressures that come from any important change projects. To support the transition period, additional support was needed in the form of Customer Service Advisors to help patients with the change in service experience. Our client needed 15 temporary customer service staff to work onsite with a staggered four-week shift rota to ensure that all shifts were covered and patient support needs were fully met during a four-month transition period. 

Due to the nature of the role, which required high levels of patience and empathy, we knew it was crucial to ensure that our candidates had the necessary experience to manage patient calls and queries, but also the right behavioural qualities for this role. Our advisors were the first point of contact for candidates, ensuring that telephone screening, availability, and attitude was aligned with our NHS Trust’s needs. Our web-based testing platform was used to evaluate our candidates’ behavioural aptitude, ensuring that our candidates were aligned with patient needs. 

Our uniform approach to application management meant that all candidates were familiar with the DBS check and screening requirements ahead of registering for these roles, reducing time-to-hire. To maximise staff retention, we held weekly in-office meetings with the team of Customer Service Advisors to discuss anything they wished to, building trust and proactive service relationships with each person so that they felt confident and comfortable coming to the Tate team with any queries about their role, freeing up the client to focus on the service transition.