Collaborative Insights for Sustainable Staffing Solutions
Cardiff and Vale University Health Board
Introduction:
To address safety risks caused by inconsistent nurse staffing and reduce reliance on temporary staff, a nurse-led, data-driven improvement programme was launched. The aim was to cut agency use by 50% within 12 months, enhance staff well-being, and improve care delivery through smarter workforce planning.
Methods:
An innovative model embedded a digital analyst within the Corporate Nursing Team to co-develop real-time dashboards using HealthRoster, SafeCare, and professional nursing judgment data. This collaborative approach, co-led by nursing, digital, and workforce leaders, drove the creation of a Nursing Workforce Hub for system-wide visibility. Iterative PDSA cycles focused on dashboard development, staff engagement, and implementation of a centralised oversight model to support safer staffing decisions.
Outcomes:
The Hub enabled daily nurse staffing decisions based on live data, reducing silos and increasing responsiveness. Key results included:
- A 70%+ reduction in nursing agency spend (from £600k+ to <£160k/month).
- £700k/month overall savings in temporary staffing costs.
- Decrease in unmitigated “red flag” staffing events.
- High engagement with over 1,400 dashboard views per month.
- Positive feedback from staff on morale and support.
The Hub is now embedded into nursing operations, ensuring more sustainable and safer staffing across the Health Board.
Learnings:
The project proved that successful workforce transformation relies on clinically-led, digitally-enabled collaboration. Embedding a digital analyst in nursing allowed agile development, but partnership and early ward-level engagement were crucial to adoption. The importance of protecting nurse-led governance when scaling the tool became clear. Continuous feedback and executive sponsorship helped sustain momentum.
What Next?
The Hub will be further integrated into strategic planning. New dashboards will support workforce forecasting, Ward Accreditation, and link to the Welsh Nursing Care Record. By scaling this model and investing in digital capability, the Health Board aims to future-proof staffing and care quality across more services.
