One spreadsheet, information in several places
The healthcare organisation’s compliance team used Excel to track candidates and carers moving through its checks. Over time, the spreadsheet had become difficult to manage. Sensitive supporting documents were stored separately from the information about the person they belonged to.
Officers needed to understand what had been received, what had been checked and what still needed chasing. Finding those answers meant working across records and documents, then sending follow-up emails by hand.
Build the record around the checks people actually do
During 2023–2024, we worked with the team to build a tracker using SharePoint lists. Each candidate or carer had a record containing the information officers needed, with supporting documents attached to that record.
Columns used the appropriate data types for the information being captured, including check dates and completion status. This gave the team a more consistent structure than an expanding spreadsheet. Role-based access to the lists limited access according to the team’s responsibilities.
The tracker was configured around the department’s requirements, so officers could see the details they needed to capture and update in one place.
Use the record to identify what needs chasing
We added automation to check records for missing information or incomplete steps. It used the person’s email address and the outstanding items recorded in the tracker to prepare a relevant reminder.
For example, where training was not marked as complete, the message could ask the person to complete it. Officers no longer needed to compose every routine chasing email themselves.
The reminders depended on the information entered in the list. Officers remained responsible for checking the evidence and keeping the record up to date; the automation followed the recorded status.
Show the team who will be contacted
Before a scheduled batch of reminders went out, the compliance officers received a list of the people due to be contacted. This gave them visibility of the planned follow-ups.
Messages could be scheduled for the evening or early morning, depending on the requirement. That helped the team reach carers whose working patterns meant they were less likely to check their email during normal office hours.
More time to progress the checks
The team had a clearer view of each person’s outstanding information, with documents attached to the relevant record and routine follow-ups handled automatically. Less time went into finding files and repeatedly preparing emails.
Arviteni recalls that an officer previously progressed roughly 10–20 people through the organisation’s compliance process in a month. After the changes, one officer progressed around 75 people in a comparable period. These are approximate recollections of the work, not a measured team-wide average or a guaranteed result.
The practical change was that officers could spend more of their time reviewing information and progressing candidates, with less administration surrounding each record.
Make the existing platform fit the process
The organisation considered off-the-shelf alternatives, but the team returned to the SharePoint tracker. Its value came from fitting the information and working practices the department needed.
The project brought together structured records, document storage and follow-up messages without removing the officers’ judgement from the process. It shows how improving the connections between everyday tasks can make an existing platform more useful.
An anonymised account of work carried out during 2023–2024. The project details and approximate throughput figures are based on Arviteni’s recollection, rather than an independently audited comparison. Completion refers to the organisation’s compliance process; the tracker did not independently certify regulatory compliance.