An app that enables care and nursing homes to hand pick temporary nurses without having to use a traditional recruitment agency has been launched.
The ‘Florence’ app empowers care home managers to work directly with nurses and to clearly see their training, accreditation and ratings from previous jobs before booking them for shifts.
More than 1,000 registered general nurses have already signed up with Florence, which enables them to build a professional reputation and so be selected by care and nursing homes for their expertise, not just their availability.
The app, which care managers can access online via a computer or mobile, is the latest in a number of ‘disruptive’ technology solutions for the care sector and has been created by Charles Armitage, a 28 year old doctor from London.
Glebe Court nursing home in Bromley, Kent, has been using Florence since March. Its chief executive, Patricia Goan, says: “We like Florence because it’s easy to use and it’s transparent. You can see the full profile of who you’re getting for each shift, and because it includes their photograph you recognise them when they arrive - managers find that reassuring.
“We have saved around 20 per cent on the cost of using agencies to fill registered general nurse shifts.”
Charles said another of the nursing homes that uses Florence had told him it has “revolutionised” how it recruits temporary nurses.
“The home’s manager commented on the quality of nurses they have access to via Florence. In his feedback, he said that because they are self-employed and marketing themselves, the nurses’ level of engagement is much greater,” says Charles.
“Moreover, because this nursing home no longer has to use a traditional recruitment agency it is saving 16 per cent on agency fees for nursing shifts. For them, this equates to more than £3,500 a month.”
Homes can use Florence to create a profile, post available shifts and then select from a database of pre-vetted RGNs. Managers can see each nurse’s training, compliance documentation and feedback from previous employers.
“Florence puts managers in direct contact with each nurse available for the shift,” says Charles. "It means homes get a better sense of who they’re employing and removes any doubt about a nurse’s abilities.”
Florence has the added benefit of doing away with the paperwork involved in completing timesheets, and payments can be made online through the app. The app takes 10 per cent commission on the cost of each shift and represents a considerable saving compared to traditional nursing recruitment agencies.
Florence also has benefits for nurses themselves. It allows them to build their own profile and establish a reputation, and they can feedback to the homes they take shifts at. It offers them a greater rate of pay, on average 30 per cent more per shift than through a recruitment agency.
Florentina Ichimuta is one of the RGNs signed up to Florence. She regularly finds work through the app. “I can see all the available shifts, the rate of pay on offer and the location. It’s so easy to use.”
“Nursing staff are empowered through using Florence,” says Charles. “It helps them to feel valued as they are booked for shifts because of who they are, not just because they are available. That makes for a much more positive experience for them and for the home, and, most importantly, that makes for better care.”
Charles had the idea for Florence when he was working as a doctor. He experienced first-hand the difficulties of being booked for casual shifts.
“I found it frustrating that there was no contact between me and the place I was going to be working,” he says. “We didn’t know anything about each other and that made for a less than satisfying experience on both sides.
“I knew there had to be a better way.”
Florence is currently serving the London area, with plans to launch it nationwide later this year.
