CaseStudies

ROTATRACK: 18 MONTHS’ EXPERIENCE OF AUTOMATED ROTAS (Update: now 8 years).

Dr Jason Walker Consultant Anaesthetist at Bangor reported to SCATA in 2002

In North West Wales NHS Trust we have been using RotaTrack, a commercially available rota management tool since October 2002. Since that date all of our theatre rotas have been produced with RotaTrack. The program runs on the 4D database application. Its primary function is to create theatre rotas, but a recent upgrade allows the program to create on call rotas as well.

RotaTrack has a number of Database tables:

‘Staff’ keeps a list of all personnel, their skill levels, specialities, preferences, working hours, default sessions, training modules, leave entitlements (including not only how many days, but whether certain members of staff can be away at the same time), and personality clashes.

A ‘DigiDiary’ section contains full details of leave. Combined with the leave quotas in the Staff section, this makes it very easy for RotaTrack to give details of how much leave is owed to staff.

Full details of on call duties are kept. RotaTrack can create on call rotas from scratch, or they can be input.

‘Lists’ contains detail of the types of operating lists run, and the skill levels and specialities required to do them.

‘Theatres’ has a list of all operating theatres, which lists run in them and when, and which surgeon and anaesthetist normally do them.

When creating a rota, the program will first of all create a template for the week, which will include which theatres are working that week. If a surgeon who should be doing a list is away, it will ask whether you wish to cancel the list or replace him (e.g. with his registrar). Then the program allocates anaesthetists to these lists, based on availability, ability and preferences.

Introducing a system like this has its problems, which fall under three headings:

1. Problems with RotaTrack

These, thankfully, are few in number, and easily surmountable. I've found the company itself quite good to deal with. However, it must be borne in mind that RotaTrack is a generic product, and as such there may be idiosyncrasies in your trust with which it cannot deal. In Bangor we have an issue with our staff grades which creates problems for RotaTrack. The answer is simple: RotaTrack produces a rota, and I modify it accordingly. It's far less work than I used to have to do.

2. Problems with Data

It's a bit of a truism that the person in charge of the rota has a huge resource of unconscious knowledge that it is very difficult to communicate effectively with a machine. Any system designed to do this will be incredible information-hungry. A lot of the time you save by not creating the rota by hand is now taken up by inputting the data. This does however mean that you have a large database of everything to do with your rotas, which is easily queried and hugely useful.

3. Problems with the Department

Since the rota produced will look different to the old one, it will be met with suspicion. Eminent luminaries with more letters after their name than you would expect to find in a scrabble bag suddenly cannot understand it, or for that matter, understand what was wrong with the old way. Pressure will be brought to bear on the person managing it (themselves possibly snowed under by point 2 above) to "give it up and go back to what we used to do".

These disadvantages are, I feel outweighed by the advantages:

1. Speed. Even if the program did nothing more than provide the weekly template rota, that would save rummaging through arcane rules about who operates when. And it does far more than that.

2. Database. The amount of data you need to input is definitely paid for by the way you can query it. Questions like "how much leave have I left this year?" can be answered in an instant. We've managed to get training approval for 4 SHO ’s, partly on the basis of the number of lists where a consultant was unaccompanied by a junior, a detail that RotaTrack provided in seconds.

In summary, although the transition to RotaTrack wasn't painless, we in Bangor have found it very useful. We haven't created a rota by hand since October 2002.



RotaTrack is a powerful management tool for reporting, projecting & recording all departmental activities

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ROTATRACK: 18 MONTHS’ EXPERIENCE OF AUTOMATED ROTAS (Update: now 8 years). Dr Jason Walker Consultant Anaesthetist at Bangor reported to SCATA in 2002 In North West Wales NHS Trust we have been using RotaTrack, a commercially available rota management tool since October 2002. Since that date all of our theatre rotas have been produced with RotaTrack. The program runs on the 4D database application. Its primary function is to create theatre rotas, but a recent upgrade allows the program to create on call rotas as well. RotaTrack has a number of Database tables: ‘Staff’ keeps a list of all personnel, their skill levels, specialities, preferences, working hours, default sessions, training modules, leave entitlements (including not only how many days, but whether certain members of staff can be away at the same time), and personality clashes. A ‘DigiDiary’ section contains full details of leave. Combined with the leave quotas in the Staff section, this makes it very easy for RotaTrack to give details of how much leave is owed to staff. Full details of on call duties are kept. RotaTrack can create on call rotas from scratch, or they can be input. ‘Lists’ contains detail of the types of operating lists run, and the skill levels and specialities required to do them. ‘Theatres’ has a list of all operating theatres, which lists run in them and when, and which surgeon and anaesthetist normally do them. When creating a rota, the program will first of all create a template for the week, which will include which theatres are working that week. If a surgeon who should be doing a list is away, it will ask whether you wish to cancel the list or replace him (e.g. with his registrar). Then the program allocates anaesthetists to these lists, based on availability, ability and preferences. Introducing a system like this has its problems, which fall under three headings: 1. Problems with RotaTrack These, thankfully, are few in number, and easily surmountable. I've found the company itself quite good to deal with. However, it must be borne in mind that RotaTrack is a generic product, and as such there may be idiosyncrasies in your trust with which it cannot deal. In Bangor we have an issue with our staff grades which creates problems for RotaTrack. The answer is simple: RotaTrack produces a rota, and I modify it accordingly. It's far less work than I used to have to do. 2. Problems with Data It's a bit of a truism that the person in charge of the rota has a huge resource of unconscious knowledge that it is very difficult to communicate effectively with a machine. Any system designed to do this will be incredible information-hungry. A lot of the time you save by not creating the rota by hand is now taken up by inputting the data. This does however mean that you have a large database of everything to do with your rotas, which is easily queried and hugely useful. 3. Problems with the Department Since the rota produced will look different to the old one, it will be met with suspicion. Eminent luminaries with more letters after their name than you would expect to find in a scrabble bag suddenly cannot understand it, or for that matter, understand what was wrong with the old way. Pressure will be brought to bear on the person managing it (themselves possibly snowed under by point 2 above) to "give it up and go back to what we used to do". These disadvantages are, I feel outweighed by the advantages: 1. Speed. Even if the program did nothing more than provide the weekly template rota, that would save rummaging through arcane rules about who operates when. And it does far more than that. 2. Database. The amount of data you need to input is definitely paid for by the way you can query it. Questions like "how much leave have I left this year?" can be answered in an instant. We've managed to get training approval for 4 SHO ’s, partly on the basis of the number of lists where a consultant was unaccompanied by a junior, a detail that RotaTrack provided in seconds. In summary, although the transition to RotaTrack wasn't painless, we in Bangor have found it very useful. We haven't created a rota by hand since October 2002.
		SHREWSBURY’s PRE-ASSESSMENT CLINIC AID By using RotaTrack to produce rotas more than six weeks in advance Shrewsbury Hospital has been able to identify and address potential problems (Clinical requirements or seniority of assistance, weeks in advance). RotaTrack produces rotas as far ahead as required. Updated rotas can be produced nearer the event and RotaTrack reverts to the latest version - but saves all iterations for reference. Rotas can be saved, according to known availability, in an Intranet format to be accessed in clinics by Pre-Assessment Nurses. The Nurses can then contact relevant personnel without bothering the Anaesthetic office. In May KPMG presented this concept to the NHS as an example of Innovation & Improvement. (Click for example).