The UK Environmental Agency (EA) is a specialized agency funded directly by the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). Its mission is to deploy emergency workers during natural disasters or situations that pose a threat to public safety, including both direct safety hazards and indirect threats like contamination.

In a competitive selection process, CareWare was chosen over several UK providers, including the SMART-Kronos alliance. The selection panel was impressed by CareWare’s flexibility, particularly its customization capabilities for hospital staff e-rostering. With over 2,000 configuration parameters organized across 18 screens, each featuring multiple tables, CareWare stood out as a robust and adaptable solution. While the EA invested in enhancements to tailor the system for emergency response, the significant benefits realized over the life of the contract justified these investments. As a result, the initial three-year contract was extended in March 2015.

Key Benefits for the Environmental Agency

CareWare has brought significant efficiencies to the EA, providing a single enterprise-wide tool that covers all seven locations across England and enabling the rostering and dispatch of up to 11,000 staff members. The system’s user-friendly design facilitated the decommissioning of a diverse and inconsistent range of existing rostering tools. This consistency, combined with nationwide visibility and instant, accurate reporting, led to substantial savings for the agency.

CareWare’s attributes have delivered multiple operational improvements, including:

• Overtime Reduction: The system enabled a reduction in overtime expenses.
• Fairness in Dispatching: Improved fairness in dispatching contributed to higher staff retention rates.
• Location-Sensitive Dispatching: Targeted dispatching based on location led to additional cost savings.
• System-Aided Floating and Swapping: Facilitated inter-department movement and shift swapping, satisfying both management and staff.
• Multi-Mode Communication: The powerful communication capabilities enhanced overall system efficiency.

Financial Impact

The financial benefits of implementing CareWare were remarkable. A 5% reduction in staff within the 11,000-person organization, enabled by the system’s efficiencies, resulted in annual savings of £19 million. Additionally, a 10% reduction in the £40 million overtime bill saved the agency £4 million per year.

Overall, CareWare’s implementation has significantly improved the EA’s operational efficiency and financial performance, making it an invaluable tool in their mission to protect public safety across England.