Doctors and nurses could be booked directly by hospitals via an app for additional shifts.

A Preston-based businessman has built IndexR – which he says could save the NHS millions in agency fees each year.

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The NHS estimates £2.9billion was spent on agency staff in NHS hospitals during the 2016-2017 financial year.

A third of the spend will go directly to agencies and up to a fifth of shifts don’t ever get filled.

Paul Glover, 38, from Fulwood, has decided to trial the app in the North West with his business partner Zahid.

Paul said the inspiration for the app came from a first-hand experience in the NHS.

He said: “I personally had a rather traumatic experience when my daughter was born. We witnessed first-hand the dilemma faced by trusts trying to meet safe staffing levels within budget restrictions.

“An overstretched team trying to provide the right level of care in what was already a tense situation. If this was the situation in the early hours of a Tuesday morning, what was the situation like in A&E and Theatre on a Saturday evening?”

“Having lots of family and friends working within the NHS here in the North West I have seen first hand how passionate they are about their jobs and the service they provide.

“The North West is also an important region to Zahid and I, having both come from the area, so to have an opportunity to help improve staffing levels and redirect current agency spend to more important areas of staff training, retention and attraction through our technology is fantastic.”

The app allows medical professionals to sign up via their smartphones or computer.

They are then vetted by a compliance team and set their preferences. The app then matches health trusts and individuals together based on shift availability. IndexR is due to launch in June.

Do you work in the NHS? What do you think of the idea? Let us know in the comments below