Hartree Centre and Alder Hey introduce new smart systems to ease complex rota planning, reduce clinician admin time and support staff well-being
One of Europe’s biggest and busiest children’s hospitals is using advanced digital technologies to develop a smart staff scheduling system.
Photo courtesy of Science and Technology Facilities Council
Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust provides 24-hour care to some 450,000 children and young people per year, covering everything from common illnesses to complex and specialist conditions. Ensuring that the right staff with the right skills are available at the right time involved careful rota planning.
However, that has meant senior clinicians having to manage rotas using manual spreadsheets and juggle annual leave, absences, working patterns and on-call rules. Alongside this, they must maintain staff well-being and service continuity. With increased demand on services, the trust identified a need for a more modern, reliable system to free up clinicians’ time.
The hospital is now working with the Science and Technology Facilities Council’s Hartree Centre – which is based in Daresbury, just outside Liverpool – on the first phase of a new strategic agreement to explore how advanced digital technologies can transform staff scheduling for the NHS.
Working with clinicians, the Hartree National Centre for Digital Innovation team has now developed an AI-driven system that automatically generates on-call schedules. Drawing from data on annual leave, working patterns and staff skills, it produces rotas that are fair, practical and more predictable.
Clinicians maintain human oversight through a user-friendly interface that enables them to review and adjust schedules quickly.
The initial phase has focused on on-call planning, but future development will address full workforce rota management. The team are also exploring the potential to be scale such technology across the NHS, in a bid to improve resilience and efficiency.
Professor Iain Hennessey, Director and Founder of Innovation at Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, says: ‘Sometimes the most impactful innovations are often the simplest and improving how we build our rotas is a perfect example of technology giving clinicians more time to care. There is no better use of advanced computing than helping a children’s hospital run more efficiently, allowing clinicians to concentrate on what they do best.
‘Through this collaboration we will be able to harness expertise and the latest technology to help make this a reality. This is what innovation and high-precision computing can do, put people back at the heart of care.’
Professor Kate Royse, Director of the Hartree Centre, adds: ‘It is extremely exciting to continue our work with Alder Hey as it uses advanced AI and digital technologies to tackle real challenges facing the NHS, while supporting the wellbeing of both patients and staff. This is a clear example of how the Hartree Centre’s expertise can help the NHS to strengthen workforce planning, improve operational efficiency, and support staff, without compromising patient care.’
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