More hands-on care enabled by intelligent automation in the primary processes at Verpleeg Thuis

Robotic Process Automation (RPA), AI, and Low-Code have become widely used methods for innovating in supporting processes. However, these technologies are less commonly applied within primary processes. Vierstroom Verpleeg Thuis, in collaboration with Tacstone, recently implemented a custom low-code application specifically designed for scheduling, positioning itself as a pioneer in this area.

Vierstroom Verpleeg Thuis, part of Fundis, offers a unique service: nursing home care delivered at the client’s home. Based in Gouda, the organization provides care and support to homebound clients who, in addition to medical care, also require enhanced well-being and assistance with meals. This includes care for clients with dementia and encompasses nursing, personal care, alarm response, day activities, meal preparation, and household support.

Aligned with the innovative nature of Verpleeg Thuis, the strategic use of smart technology is a key component of their approach. Director Marieke Oldewarris explains: “Within healthcare organizations, these technologies are typically used in back-office processes like billing and record-keeping. We have chosen to support our employees by deploying Low-Code at the forefront, directly in the primary process.”

Smart Organization

The drive to innovate stems from the nature of the activities themselves. Oldewarris explains: “When we started eight years ago, the model was financially unsustainable because it was organized like a traditional nursing home. But in a nursing home, you have thirty residents in one location, whereas we visit thirty different addresses. This quickly highlighted the need for process management and technology to make the care we provide financially viable.”

She provides an example of how technology supports their operations: “In the past, we drove around with a numbered keychain in the car. Today, we use an app to unlock doors. Similarly, care records used to be kept in physical folders at clients’ homes, but now everything is digitized. However, the biggest challenge in healthcare remains the shortage of staff. While we use technologies like tablets and tools to support day activities, the impact of these solutions alone is not enough to bridge the gap.”

Hands-On Care

Verpleeg Thuis sought technology that would genuinely free up time for “extra hands-on care.” Oldewarris explains: “About a year ago, I was discussing automation with someone from the back office, which led us to explore how similar solutions could be applied to the primary process. Specifically, we looked at the highly time-consuming tasks of scheduling and planning. Scheduling determines who works when, while planning specifies where you go during your shift. These are two distinct processes, and in healthcare, creating schedules is already time-intensive, but planning takes even more time.”

Since WelThuis, another Fundis organization, was already successfully working with Tacstone Technology, Oldewarris decided to collaborate with them as well. “I asked Tacstone to start with scheduling, with the ambition to eventually automate the planning process as well.”

“We are currently in the initial stage, and last week, ‘Harry’ created the first schedule for our employees.”

Mariek Oldewarris | Director Verpleeg Thuis

Criteria

According to Oldewarris, automating the scheduling process is crucial to freeing up more hours for direct care. The process was already efficiently organized, making it suitable for Low-Code and RPA. “We work based on fixed criteria with few exceptions. Everyone works all shifts with us. We have an occupational health-compliant schedule, which means no one has split shifts or a morning shift after an evening shift. Someone working 24 hours a week must have sixteen shifts. These are hard criteria on which the schedule is based.”

“That’s exactly where the algorithm excels, because it doesn’t deal with gray areas or vague requests. This is often the issue with manually creating schedules, but we had already addressed that in our process. Of course, as we went along, we discovered there were sometimes exceptions, but we were able to incorporate them.”

Freeing Up Time

The first schedule that ‘Harry’ generated is, in her opinion, 80 percent correct. “We’re working on improving it. Harry is still in the onboarding phase, so there may still be some mistakes. But I’m confident that this will ultimately save a lot of time. Smart scheduling will save us between 50 and 80 hours per month, which can be redirected to care. The planning process will yield even greater savings. Nurses spend four hours per day on planning per team. With eight teams, that’s 32 hours per day, which adds up to 160 hours per week. I expect that automating the planning process will save us two to four FTEs per week.”

An additional benefit is the improvement in quality. “Despite having a fixed system, it was still a human task. And even with the best intentions, mistakes do happen, like someone being accidentally scheduled for a morning shift after an evening shift. Harry doesn’t make those mistakes. So what we’re also achieving is more stability in the schedules.”

Fast impact

She reflects positively on the collaboration with Tacstone: “The development of the robot progressed quickly. I believe this is because we are working with two agile organizations. We move fast, and so does Tacstone. Whenever we encountered something that Harry wasn’t doing correctly, it was quickly adjusted. We share the same vision and are aligned, which greatly helps the process.” The organization is pleased with the robot:

“Most nurses perceive planning as a burden. They would much rather be with the clients.”

Marieke Oldewarris | Director Verpleeg Thuis

Colleagues at other Fundis companies are also watching this development with interest. They too want to save time, but are sometimes still cautious. “That’s okay; we’re happy to do the pioneering work, it’s in our DNA.”