The new platform provides managers with a comprehensive view of staff rostering, enabling greater flexibility and shift pattern visibility.

Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust has gone live with a new e-rostering platform, aimed at supporting flexible and transparent rota planning for the Trust’s medical workforce.

The Trust hopes that the move will enable a greater visibility of its workforce, and facilitate the organisation of more dynamic, data-driven rostering able to adapt to fluctuating service demand.

The adoption of the new platform, built and delivered in partnership with healthcare workforce specialists Patchwork Health, represents a step-change for the Trust’s rostering teams, providing access to all rota-building, roster and leave management activities for medics in a centralised location, for the first time. Managers can view all permanent and non-permanent staff on a single roster using the platform, and plan rotas with a view of individual staff preferences, providing greater shift visibility further in advance.

Shift patterns can be easily monitored, ensuring that rota planning meets minimum requirements for working hours, rest periods and annual leave allocation. Using the platform, staff can also view their personal and team rotas and book annual leave requests via a connected app, giving increased transparency and control over their schedules, supporting staff wellbeing and retention and a reduction in the use of agency staff.
 
Since launching the new e-rostering system, the Trust has seen a positive shift in rota management, staff wellbeing and lower agency spend, and is now planning to introduce the system across more departments. The partnership between Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust and Patchwork Health has led to the additional roll-out of a digital staff bank which, since launching in late 2023, is supporting workforce teams Trust-wide to sustainably manage temporary staffing and fill rota gaps.  

Sean Briggs, Chief Operating Officer at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust, said: “Finding new ways to support flexible working and staff wellbeing is a key priority as our incredible workforce responds to the record levels of demand and service pressures. The roll-out of the e-rostering system has already had a significant impact – reducing agency spend and improving cover in key clinical areas. Consistent engagement and support from the Patchwork team has ensured a smooth and effective implementation. We’re excited to continue this collaboration and expand the use of the system and  the benefits across additional departments.”

Dr Anas Nader, CEO and Co-Founder of Patchwork Health, said: “It’s so rewarding to see the impact that our partnership with Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust is having for medics and workforce teams. Flexible, data-driven rostering is absolutely essential for supporting employee wellbeing and facilitating sustainable staffing that can be truly responsive to fluctuating patient demand. It was so important to us to build a rostering platform that unlocked this level of flexibility while being simple and enjoyable to use for clinicians and managers alike. We’re looking forward to continuing our work together to roll this out further across the trust.”