While all sectors pose unique issues, regardless of which one you happen to work in, some are more stressful, time-consuming, and complex than others, and healthcare is one of them.

 

Working in the healthcare sector here in the UK, whether it’s for the NHS, private, or anything else, can be extremely testing at times, especially as far as staffing goes. Hospitals and care homes, for example, must operate full-time, 24 hours per day, 365 days per year. Because of this, having enough staff is essential.

Even before the Covid-19 pandemic struck back in 2020, the healthcare sector was vastly understaffed and overstretched. Each year, things have gotten progressively worse. With staff absences due to illness, burnout, and simply becoming fed up with the job itself, the healthcare sector is currently more understaffed than ever.

A proper rostering system is one of the keys to ensuring any healthcare institution runs smoothly and efficiently. Employees need to be utilised correctly while also used fairly. This is where creating an efficient roster in a healthcare environment is so useful.

 

Here are some useful tips for creating your employee rosters.

 

Focus on efficient leadership

One thing you’ll notice about any healthcare environment is that there is always an abundance of staff members working, and for good reason. Healthcare is very difficult; you never know which medical issues may arise, and when lives are literally on the line, having enough manpower is vital.

When creating a healthcare rota, however, rather than focusing solely on manpower, begin at the top by focusing on efficient management.

You’ll know who your senior staff members are and which ones should be in charge of shifts. When creating your rotas, begin with your senior staff members, ensuring you don’t overwork them or assign them more hours than you should.

Ensure that you have senior staff members in charge of every shift and vary the workload.

 

Check on staff availability beforehand

While it can be challenging to stay up to date with employee availability if you’re working on rosters for large medical institutions, such as a hospital for example, before you begin working on new rotas/rosters for the next several weeks/months, ensure you know the availability of your employees.

Remember, staff members are human beings. They have families, they have friends, they have errands to run, and they have lives to live. Therefore, not every staff member will be available when you need them, so don’t just put them down on a rota to work a specific day or shift without checking first.

Get to know your employees and have them use calendars and other software to let you know their availability. If, for example, your team leader cannot work Wednesdays due to family responsibilities, you know to rota in another team leader for Wednesday.

 

Use common sense as well as technology

Because the total number of employees working in a hospital or large care home is so high, planning a work roster is very complex. Therefore, it’s difficult to do it manually, which is where technology proves to be so useful. Make use of tables, spreadsheets, calendars, management software etc., when creating your roaster and your own common sense.

As you get to know your employees, you’ll begin to know their availability off by heart, which will, of course, make life much easier.

Technology is helpful because, with spreadsheets etc., you can total the hours worked by each employee weekly to ensure that they are not overworked or underworked.

 

Plan well in advance

Another simple tip when creating a roster in a healthcare environment is to plan it well in advance.

Don’t plan and change rotas weekly; plan weeks, if not months, in advance. By doing this, staff members know which shifts they are working, and if there are any scheduling issues, they’ll know in advance and can let you know in advance, so you can switch things up and change things around.

Most experts agree that monthly rotas work most effectively in healthcare environments. Once you’ve finished the roster, make it available so employees can see their hours and advise you on any scheduling conflicts or availability issues.

 

Factor in cover

Be aware that, no matter how efficient your roster may be and how available your employees are, there will be times when staff are off, and you need cover.

Whether it’s due to illness, personal issues, holidays, or anything else, employees will need time off, and there will be times when cover is needed. Just be aware of this when you’re creating your monthly roster.

In conclusion, yes, rostering in the healthcare arena is complex and challenging, but essential to get it perfect, as if not, lives may be very much at stake.