Going Beyond: How HRS Helped Safeguard Primary Healthcare by Delivering Critical Talent - Rapidly

Recruitment in life sciences isn’t just about filling vacancies. At HRS, we know that a large part of our role is to solve problems that have a real-world impact. Over the past year we’ve done a lot to deliver meaningful outcomes for our clients and candidates, which in turn, has led to significant impacts on healthcare and patient safety. Here’s how we’re truly living up to our status as ‘life changers’.

 

Delivering Under Pressure: Staffing a Critical Shutdown Team

As the Managed Service Provider (MSP) for a major client in the biopharmaceutical sector, HRS was faced with a high-stakes challenge:

This client manufactures biologics products - life-saving treatments that supply primary healthcare systems across the UK and EU. They planned a complete production shutdown for essential maintenance, but here’s the catch:

·         The shutdown team of 7 specialists needed to be in place within just two weeks.

·         There was zero margin for error. Maintenance mistakes could compromise patient safety.

·         Any delays in restarting production would disrupt hospital supplies and jeopardise care for patients across Europe.

The client had previously relied on external consultancies for shutdown hiring, a convenient, but high-cost approach. As their MSP, we had the opportunity (and the pressure) to prove we could deliver both quality and value.

How We Made It Happen

We’re proud to say we delivered - and we did it exceptionally well.

Here’s how we overcame the challenge:

 

• Rapid Sourcing

We maintained a dynamic and responsive recruitment pipeline by delivering up to 20 carefully selected, targeted CVs at a time. These were tailored to the specific needs of each role, ensuring that the client always had a strong bench of high-quality candidates to consider. This volume-based, yet curated approach meant the client never experienced a lull in their hiring process. They had fresh, relevant options consistently available, accelerating decision-making without compromising on candidate quality.

 

• Proactive Engagement

We didn’t wait for decisions - we made sure they happened. By conducting regular site visits and staying closely engaged with the client's hiring managers and teams, we were able to keep recruitment momentum high. These on-site engagements allowed us to better understand evolving needs, quickly address concerns, and influence prioritization around CV reviews and hiring steps. This proactive posture helped build stronger alignment and ensured that recruitment didn’t stall at any stage.

 

• Tight Coordination

Our team coordinated with precision. After every interview, we scheduled and facilitated debrief calls, creating an immediate feedback loop between stakeholders. These debriefs ensured that assessments were shared while still fresh, consensus was built rapidly, and next steps were decided without delay. This level of coordination removed bottlenecks from the process and enabled us to accelerate time-to-hire in a meaningful way.

 

• Personal Sacrifice, Professional Commitment

We didn’t clock out when the work got tough - we leant in. Whether it meant working evenings, weekends, or beyond the typical call of duty, our team showed up with unwavering commitment. We understood that for our client hiring top talent was a mission-critical priority; so we made it ours too. The sacrifices we made weren’t just about hours logged; they were a reflection of the pride we take in delivering outcomes that matter.

The result? We staffed the entire shutdown team on time, with full compliance and minimal disruption.

Impact: £180,000 Saved and Future Secured

Beyond flawless execution, we also delivered serious cost savings. By managing the shutdown in-house as the MSP, we saved the client £180,000 compared to their previous external consultancy model - all within a two-month shutdown period.

The client’s procurement team was thrilled. Not only did we protect their operations, but we also strengthened our position as a trusted long-term partner.

Setting Higher Standards Internally

One reason we consistently exceed expectations is that we hold ourselves to higher standards than even our client’s demand.

In contract recruitment, we know we must be fast. At HRS - our internal service level agreements are stricter than client-set targets. When clients expect requisitions to be filled within 72 hours, we aim to deliver within 24 hours.

This discipline, paired with our commitment to our clients, keeps our teams sharp, agile, and ready to overdeliver every time.

 

Want to experience these fast, successful results for your company? Contact us today.