Agenda for Change staff at Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust moved to e-rostering in 2018, but medics were still managing their schedules on spreadsheets – a significant barrier to consistency and efficiency.
The plan to extend Allocate HealthRoster (Optima) to the trust’s medics started in March 2022, with work beginning in obstetrics and gynaecology. The project team drew up a medical rostering policy after extensive consultation with staff and representatives of the British Medical Association.
Alongside implementation of the system itself, the trust created a group of dedicated admin roster co-ordinators to reduce the time medics were spending on managing their work schedules. A monthly oversight group, including members of the trust’s executive team, ensured the project was a key priority for the organisation.
The new system went fully live in March 2024. In total, the project team have built 40 rosters, including clinic and theatre planners. Instead of spending time managing individual spreadsheets, medics are scheduling their hours on a system that is transparent, fair, flexible and efficient.
Benefits include better work-life balance and more time to care for patients. The trust, meanwhile, has reduced agency staff spend by 350k and succeeded in the key aim of reducing theatre and clinic cancellations.
