DHU Healthcare
Workforce Innovation Through Partnership
Delivering Workforce Innovation through Partnership with DHU Healthcare
A case study showcasing how DHU Healthcare’s partnership with Hallam Medical has delivered cost savings, time efficiencies, clinical support, quality assurance and productivity while laying the foundation for future growth and flexible workforce models.
Improvements in Compliance within Temporary Workforce Recruitment
To enhance efficiency in the temporary workforce recruitment process, DHU Healthcare introduced the Certificate of Compliance (CoC).
This initiative has delivered measurable improvements in compliance assurance, onboarding speed, and overall operational efficiency.
Background
Previously, staffing providers were required to submit a full set of compliance documents for every candidate, including right-to-work evidence, professional registration, mandatory training certificates, references, and occupational health clearance.
Although thorough, this process was time-consuming and often caused delays in verifying and onboarding new colleagues into the DHU Healthcare system.
In addition, variations in documentation standards and formats across providers created inconsistencies and administrative burden.
Time was being lost on the duplication of work and effort as, when we analysed Hallam Medical’s performance, we identified that there had never been incidence of any discrepancy.
The New Process: Certificate of Compliance (CoC)
Under the new system, a Certificate of Compliance is submitted, confirming that all required checks have been completed and verified in accordance with DHU Healthcare’s standards.
The certificate summarises key compliance details and references all supporting documents, which remain held by the provider and can be requested at any time.
This approach allows candidates to be processed more efficiently while maintaining full compliance assurance and traceability.
Improvements
Since introducing the Certificate of Compliance, onboarding times have improved significantly:
- Before CoC process: Average onboarding time: 49.14 working days
- After CoC process introduced: Average onboarding time: 5.6 working days
This represents an 88.6% reduction in onboarding time, allowing temporary workers to begin work much sooner while maintaining DHU Healthcare’s compliance standards.
This also represents an annualised cost saving opportunity of £438,833 due to the reduction in onboarding time and the rate reduction which Hallam Medical were able to provide to DHU Healthcare.
“Our partnership with Hallam Medical has shown what can be achieved when two organisations share a genuine commitment to innovation and quality. By introducing the Certificate of Compliance, we’ve transformed how quickly and confidently we can bring clinicians into service. This collaboration has set a new benchmark for efficiency, governance, and patient centred workforce delivery.”
Damian Hudomel
Ongoing Compliance and Audit Assurance
Although providers are no longer required to submit full compliance files for each candidate during onboarding, they are still required to maintain complete documentation and provide it to DHU Healthcare upon request for audit or quality assurance purposes.
To confirm the effectiveness and reliability of the new system, an initial audit was conducted with Hallam Medical, reviewing compliance documentation for a sample of candidates.
The audit achieved 100% completion, confirming that all required compliance documents were in place and accurately reflected within the Certificates of Compliance submitted.
This outcome provides strong assurance that the new process maintains compliance integrity while improving efficiency.
Key Benefits
- Significant Reduction in Onboarding Time: Average onboarding reduced from 49.14 to 5.6 working days.
- Streamlined Process: Reduced administrative workload for both DHU Healthcare and Hallam Medical.
- Consistent Standards: Standardised documentation and format across all temporary staffing partners.
- Audit Readiness: Providers remain fully auditable, ensuring ongoing compliance with regulatory standards.
- Enhanced Collaboration: Strengthened working relationships through clear expectations and mutual accountability.
- Speed to delivery: Enhancing patient safety through appropriate levels of staffing in line with DHU Healthcare’s standards of service excellence.
Summary
The introduction of the Certificate of Compliance has proven to be a highly effective enhancement to the recruitment process at DHU Healthcare in partnership with Hallam Medical.
It has dramatically reduced onboarding times, ensured continued compliance reliability and fostered stronger collaboration with partners all while maintaining robust audit controls and governance standards.
