Scheduling pain gain.

Rethinking Doctor Rostering: Why greater visibility and flexibility will be transformative for healthcare

Can modern rostering technology help the healthcare sector overcome its challenges and transform health outcomes?

In this paper we'll explore how enhanced visibility and flexibility around scheduling can improve operational efficiencies and increase job satisfaction for doctors – all while serving patients’ needs better.

With Covid-19 having stretched resources to the limit, healthcare providers face a huge battle as they attempt to reduce patient backlogs.

The pressure to meet patient needs is made worse by the fact that workforces have been worn down by the hardships of the pandemic – and the NHS is being hindered by a shortfall of doctors nationally.

To overcome this challenge, healthcare providers need to support their doctors at the same time as ensuring they are delivering for patients on the frontline. The ability to get doctors where they need to be, while simultaneously looking after their wellbeing, has heightened the role that effective doctor rostering can play.

To understand how staffing schedules can help healthcare providers deliver for patients at the point of need and vastly improve doctors’ work-life balance, we spoke to experts in the field.

We asked them where transformation was needed and why increased visibility and flexibility has become vital. They also explain how digital technology is helping healthcare providers overcome their challenges and the outcomes that can be expected when solutions are successfully implemented.

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“It’s about the feeling that rostering is not being done to you. The biggest impact will be if we can provide flexible working that empowers our staff. This will solve many of those retention problems and make us a more attractive employer.”

Ashford and St Peter’s NHS Trust

“It’s common to set acuity levels for nurses to match staff to demand but this measure isn’t normally applied to doctors. With better forecasting we can ensure that the right skills mix and levels of seniority are always available.”

Dr Chris McCullough, former A&E physician at St Mary’s Hospital London and co-founder of Rotageek

"We now have sophisticated solutions that can perform these time consuming and complex tasks. If you have a digital solution that could take something that is hard to do, get it right and take away the pain, why wouldn’t you want it?”

Martin Bell, former CIO at North Bristol NHS Trust and independent healthcare IT consultant