A dynamic casual nurse bank specifically designed for rural health will expand across Victoria and could more than double its staffing numbers.

CasConnect, based in the Grampians region, has been given the green light to expand across rural and regional Victoria after a successful pilot phase.

CasConnect manager David Francis said the innovative e-commerce system was built by rural health for rural health and delivered flexible, low-cost services to regional health organisations.

“CasConnect went live in 2008 at Stawell Regional Health with 23 members,” he said.

“Today it has over 500 members within 10 rural health services. Participating health services have on average increased their casual relief pools by 20 percent during the pilot period.

“Amongst other key achievements, CasConnect has generated significant productivity savings for these health services; helping to attract, recruit and retain vital health workers in rural Victoria.”

The nurse bank uses casual and relief staff, employed with participating health services.

CasConnect utilises internet and mobile phone SMS technology to connect shift vacancies with relief staff.

Health service managers log into CasConnect and specify time, grade and location and the system automatically matches staff for the position.

CasConnect then notifies staff of the vacancy via SMS or email and they reply to accept.

Mr Francis said CasConnect could grow to between 1000 and 1500 staff by mid-2013 as part of its plans to expand from the Grampians, Loddon, Mallee and Hume regions to the Barwon South West and Gippsland regions.

“CasConnect coordinates the placement of relief staff across rural and regional Victoria on the same platform as services provided to major health services in Melbourne,” he said.

“Through an innovative collaboration between health services, CasConnect can offer access to this nationally recognised system, which would otherwise be out of the reach of these rural and regional health services.”