Reducing spillover and disruption from unplanned care, while unlocking capacity

Procare commissioned Heim to establish a clear, evidence baseline of community nursing time and capacity across its services. The aim was to show how nursing time is distributed across competing demands, and where operational friction and inefficiency eats into time with patients.

Over a two‑week diagnostic period, Heim combined quantitative data captured via ambient tracking and EPR exports with qualitative insight from nurse interviews and shadowing. This mixed‑methods approach enabled a detailed characterisation of activity, travel, workforce utilisation and unplanned care dynamics.

Procare findings echo Heim’s data and insights across multiple deployments. It shows a service delivering high volumes of essential care under significant operational pressure. Nursing time is split across patient visits, travel, coordination and administrative activity, with a small number of high‑frequency tasks accounting for a disproportionate share of clinical effort. Day‑of‑care plans are highly dynamic, with unplanned activity and coordination requirements frequently displacing planned work and reducing predictability.

Heim’s technology modelled potential for improvements in the following areas:

*A reduction in mileage by up to 55% in perfect conditions by re-ordering +/- re-allocating visits based on skill mix, rota, and timing requirements for specific skill types. Mitigating factors inc. live traffic and continuity of care;Combining skill mix and rota patterns with demand, ensuring staff can work at the top of their license;Mitigate the impact of unplanned care on planned capacity.