New e-rostering system for nurses launches today

A new e-rostering system for all healthcare staff launches today, and will save organisations money, according to its creator.

A pilot of the so-called Realtime Rostering software found spending on medical locums was reduced by 10-20%, and the workload of staff managing the rotas was decreased by up to 50%. 

The system enables planning a year in advance while allowing for flexibility for unplanned absences.

Skills for Health, which provides NHS rostering, said the system will save money by cutting agency staff costs, and will also identify training time and improve care.

Skills for Health head of technical development Bryan Kessie said: 'We’ve designed Realtime Rostering to be an all-encompassing system that allows staff of all levels to access the right information to ensure the workforce is efficient and sustainable.'

The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust medical HR manager Heather Bennett said: 'The system is perfect for us and allows us to see most member of staffs’ availability on one screen. Having that level of visibility means that we can see any gaps and are alerted to any problems earlier than we would have been before.'

The system follows a report by Lord Carter which suggested an extension of e-rostering in order to save the NHS money.

Further information

Realtime Rostering