The Credentialing Challenge
Merco, a leader in supplying temporary, contract, and permanent staff to the healthcare sector, faced significant challenges in onboarding healthcare professionals efficiently. Ensuring that all clinicians had the correct documentation and references was a daunting task. Afifa Sardar, Merco’s Head of HR and Compliance, emphasized the importance of thorough checks to maintain the highest standards of patient safety. "The checks we conduct on our clinicians fill us with confidence that we are supplying the highest calibre of staff to the NHS – patient safety is of the utmost importance to us," she explains. Tasha Pieters, Business Support Manager at Merco, agrees, highlighting the critical responsibility of healthcare professionals.
By partnering with Credentially, Merco aimed to streamline their onboarding process, eliminate human errors, and maintain top compliance standards.
Speedy Onboarding
The credentialing process for healthcare professionals often requires 35 to 40 pieces of documentation, with framework clinicians needing even more. Before Credentially, this presented a significant administrative burden for Merco. References, in particular, were a challenge. "We had to try to monitor references and send them out repeatedly until we got a response," Afifa recalls.
Credentially's automated system transformed this process, sending out reference requests automatically and ensuring quicker responses. This efficiency extended to the entire documentation process, reducing what used to take two weeks to just one day. "With the help of Credentially, I’ve actually managed to onboard a framework clinician within 24 hours," Afifa proudly states.
Keeping the Staff Bank Safe
Maintaining continuous compliance is crucial for Merco. Automated checks by Credentially ensure that crucial DBS checks are completed rigorously on specific dates. "Our DBS online update service checks have to be done rigorously on the specific dates," Afifa explains. Credentially's integration with DBS, GMC, NMC, and other bodies ensures real-time updates and compliance. "We don’t have to worry about having placed someone who isn’t registered or whose registration has lapsed," Afifa adds.
Top Marks at Audit
Credentially's automation has helped Merco achieve outstanding audit results, saving them three hours a day in the process. "Credentially has helped us immensely with professional registration checks," Afifa remembers. The platform's efficiency has eliminated manual tasks, reducing human error and ensuring top audit scores. "The HT audit scored at 100% and the CCS audit scored at 99.82%," Afifa proudly reports.
The Best Thing Since Sliced Bread
Credentially has not only streamlined internal processes but also enhanced the candidate experience. Candidates appreciate the clarity and control provided by Credentially's platform. "Before Credentially, candidates said our compliance process was very old school," Tasha recalls. Now, candidates can upload documents via their mobile phones, leading to positive feedback. "One of our candidates said it’s the best system they’ve ever worked with," Tasha shares.
Merco has also benefited from Credentially's supportive customer service team. "The Credentially team are so accommodating," Tasha enthuses. Afifa agrees, highlighting how Credentially has implemented their feedback to improve the system. "They’ve taught us a better way to work – things we hadn’t even thought about," she adds.
