In October 2022, the then Minister for Health in Northern Ireland announced measures to reduce agency spend across the health and social care systems. Between 2018/19 and 2021/22, this had increased considerably to more than £100 million, so the DoH in Ireland decided that agency social work would be banned in five trusts in 2023. The goal was to convert social workers employed through an agency to become directly employed, and to ensure newly qualified social workers came straight to trusts rather than agencies.

However, one of the challenges was that recruitment for the majority of trusts was conducted through a shared services provider and underpinned by that provider’s technology – something that often led to delays due to HR teams having to operate across multiple systems. To bypass this, the department worked with HealthSectorTalent to implement its proprietary Healthdaq system that had been designed to deliver candidates into the health service during Covid. The company transformed the application and recruitment process for both newly qualified and qualified social workers, with a branded microsite and online application form powered by an intuitive application system.

The system is inclusive because it is compatible with the screen reader technology required by blind and partially sighted applicants. Furthermore, an innovative digital employment wallet meant recruiters could safely store documentation related to mandatory employment checks. All trusts have accelerated recruitment thanks to increased automation and verification, and the system means that no agency social workers now practice in the five designated trusts. This has saved millions annually and has been described as a “landmark” by Northern Ireland’s Chief Social Worker.