Job Planning the Medical Workforce
Summary
Aligned with the national agenda for job planning improvement, Whittington Health NHS Trust has made outstanding progress. At the time of submission, the Trust achieved the highest compliance rate in London and ranked as the top-performing English organisation in RLDatix metrics, with e-job planning compliance rising from 7% to 98%. By embedding the Allocate JobPlan solution and leading a cultural shift in engagement, the team has empowered clinicians, improved data quality, and aligned workforce activity to service needs.
The Challenge
When the programme began in 2019, digital job planning was underused, with only 7% of plans signed off. Engagement was low, as some doctors questioned the value of moving to a digital system and felt it added administrative burden rather than reflecting their clinical work. The COVID-19 pandemic further disrupted progress. At the same time, national expectations increased, requiring Trusts to reach 95% individual job plan approval. Whittington needed to overcome these barriers, maximise Direct Clinical Care time, and generate meaningful data to plan and deliver services effectively.
The Solution
In 2020, a dedicated job planning team was established to lead change. Working with the Chief Medical Officer and Associate Medical Director, the team:
- Upskilled in the software and created user accounts for the full medical workforce.
- Delivered structured training, support, and monthly progress meetings to maintain engagement.
- Revised system language, uploaded SMART service objectives, and embedded a new Conflict-of-Interest process.
- Introduced a trust-wide policy and supported audits to ensure quality and compliance.
- This operational-clinical partnership helped ensure job planning was seen as a meaningful process rather than just administration.
Results and Next Steps
- Compliance increased from 7% to 98%, surpassing the 95% national target.
- Ranked No.1 in England and London for consultant job plan compliance (RLDatix metrics, time of submission).
- Significant efficiency gains: 63% fewer training sessions and 44% fewer individual support sessions required.
- Greater data use: 41% more entries for Undergraduate Medical Education reporting and robust Conflict-of-Interest tracking.
- Extended reach: successful rollout to AHP job planning, increasing compliance from 4% to 79%.
The Trust is now ready to move towards advanced stages of job planning, expanding from individual to team and organisational level, with a focus on using data to evidence outcomes, reduce variation, and support productivity.
