Partner Article

Advanced Business Solutions signs agreement with Kronos to enable NHS Trusts to meet Government safe staffing targets

Advanced Business Solutions signs agreement with Kronos to enable NHS Trusts to meet Government safe staffing targets

Kronos OptiLink solution will be used for staff management, scheduling, and reporting

5 January 2015 – Advanced Business Solutions (Advanced), a leading software provider, today announced it signed an agreement with Kronos Incorporated, the global leader in workforce management solutions. As a result, Advanced will provide the Kronos OptiLink solution for staff management, scheduling, and reporting to NHS Trusts in the UK.

Advanced is the first company to resell the Kronos OptiLink solution in the UK. The relationship brings together two companies with substantial experience in providing IT solutions to organisations in the healthcare sector. Kronos healthcare solutions are used by more than 3,000 organisations globally, and Advanced provides software and support to more than 140 NHS Trusts in the UK.

The Kronos solution will enable NHS Trusts to address Government requirements for managing and demonstrating safe staffing levels and nursing to patient ratios. In July 2014, the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) was tasked with overseeing improvements following the publication of the Francis Inquiry and Berwick report, which outlined ways in which the NHS can improve care.

Kronos enables nursing executives and their staff to manage workload, schedules, and productivity using actual patient demand rather than static rosters created in advance. Using real-time data on admissions, discharges, and transfers, the Kronos OptiLink solution delivers a clear picture of patient population and staffing from the ward level through the entire system, enabling hospitals to staff effectively based on the intensity of patient care needed.

Dean Dickinson, Managing Director, Advanced Business Solutions (Public Sector and Enterprise division), comments, “NHS Trusts are under pressure to ensure safe staffing levels and the Kronos OptiLink solution is by far the best solution on the market to help them achieve this goal. We look forward to working with Kronos and combining its expertise with ours to support our NHS clients.”

The Kronos OptiLink solution allows Trusts to define workloads and scheduling based on patient demand. Using real-time data on admissions, discharges, and transfers, Kronos OptiLink gives a clear picture of patient population and staffing from the unit level through the entire system to improve staffing and budget management. Using this technology, NHS Trusts can better control costs associated with recruitment and covering absences with short-term agency staff in addition to avoiding costly medical claims.

The Kronos OptiLink solution will also enable organisations to provide mandatory staff ratio reports to the Department of Health. The consolidation of data within a single system will eliminate the need for information to be collated from different sources across multiple departments and improve accuracy as a result. Kronos OptiLink will integrate with many existing HR and Electronic Patient Record systems used by NHS Trusts, enabling information to be collated and shared easily.

The relationship will also enable Kronos to further expand in the UK market.

Tristan Spencer, sales director, UK, Kronos adds: “Kronos OptiLink is a well-established solution that will help NHS Trusts to transform care delivery. The solution will help managers ensure that they have the right staff taking care of patients at all times and provide evidence of safe staffing to NICE and the Department of Health.

“The solution has already helped many healthcare organisations in the U.S. improve patient care, control labour costs, minimise compliance risk, and improve workforce productivity. We are very confident that by extending our reach with Advanced we can help even more NHS Trusts meet their safe staffing targets in the UK.”

Advanced Business Solutions is an Advanced Computer Software Group company. The Group recently won Tech Company of the Year in the prestigious UK Tech Awards 2014 and ranked in the Deloitte UK Technology Fast 50, which recognises the 50 fastest growing technology companies in the UK.

-ENDS-

Notes to Editors

About Kronos

Kronos is the global leader in delivering workforce management solutions in the cloud. Tens of thousands of organisations in more than 100 countries — including more than half of the Fortune 1000® — use Kronos to control labour costs, minimise compliance risk, and improve workforce productivity. Learn more about Kronos industry-specific time and attendance, scheduling, absence management, HR and payroll, hiring, and labour analytics applications at www.kronos.co.uk. Kronos: Workforce Innovation That Works™.

© 2015 Kronos Incorporated. All rights reserved. Kronos and the Kronos logo are registered trademarks and Workforce Innovation That Works is a trademark of Kronos Incorporated or a related company. See a complete list of Kronos trademarks.

About Advanced Business Solutions www.advancedcomputersoftware.com/abs

Advanced Business Solutions (Advanced) provides leading integrated business applications and services that enable public, private and third sector organisations to retain control, improve visibility and gain efficiencies whilst continually improving corporate performance.

Advanced prides itself on getting close to its customers by understanding their businesses and responding to their evolving needs.

Advanced’s software systems comprise core accounting/financial management, procurement, supply chain management, human resource and payroll systems, integrated with a range of collaborative, document management and business intelligence solutions to extend the value and effectiveness of the finance, human resource and payroll departments.

Management information systems for school and academies are also provided through Advanced’s subsidiary, Advanced Learning. Advanced also provides specialist vertical solutions for the not-for-profit and legal markets. All solutions can be delivered as a managed or bureau service.

Customers are from both the public and private sectors and include Companies House, Newcastle City Council, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, Norfolk Constabulary, Edge Hill University, WH Smith, Royal Bank of Scotland, Aer Lingus, National Express Group, DFS and RSPB.

Advanced Business Solutions is a division of Advanced Computer Software Group plc, a leading supplier of software and IT services to the health, care and business services sectors.

Press contacts:

Angela Mycock and Nick Hardy, Advanced Computer Software Group

pr@advancedcomputersoftware.com

+44(0)1625 856 513

07887 415 232

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Advanced .