Predicting Risk, Protecting Care: Transforming Custody Workforce Planning

The Challenge

Mountain Healthcare’s custody services needed a more reliable way to forecast rota compliance.

Workforce planning was being affected by constant change. Sickness, annual leave, maternity absence, and staff attrition all made it difficult to see where risks were building.

At the same time, demand was fluctuating. Without clear visibility, teams were relying more heavily on bank and agency staff, increasing both cost and operational pressure.

The risk wasn’t abstract. It impacted patient care, contract performance, and the potential for service credits.

The Approach

The Custody Director worked closely with the RCI Group data team to build a forecasting dashboard based on Rota Master data.

This wasn’t just a reporting tool. It was designed to predict pressure before it happened.

Data on sickness, leave, attrition, FTE capacity, and staffing costs was brought together to create a clearer picture of workforce risk. Demand patterns and peak activity periods were layered in, allowing teams to plan ahead rather than react.

Insights were shared across Heads of Healthcare and escalated to Board level, creating a consistent view of risk and the actions needed to manage it.

The Outcome

The shift to a data-led approach changed how workforce planning was managed.

Forecasting became more accurate, reducing the likelihood of KPI breaches and improving cost control. Teams were able to anticipate staffing gaps earlier, making better use of bank and agency resources without over-reliance.

At a leadership level, visibility improved. There was clearer assurance around workforce risk, financial exposure, and the continuity of patient care.

Rota compliance across all contracts reached an average of 96% following the introduction of the dashboard.