Dr. Darren Kilroy, Medical Director, RLDatix<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Job planning for doctors has been with us now for quite a while, and its reputation has often gone before it in terms of how readily it\u2019s engaged with and the challenges it can present. Even as you read that sentence, I can feel some people\u2019s pulses start to quicken! That\u2019s historically been a symptom of the way in which it has been approached and maybe even a misunderstanding of what it is there to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c<\/strong><\/em>Things are changing significantly as we speak for job planning, and I believe these changes are for the better. Right now, there is a campaign across NHS England to both improve the \u2018sign off\u2019 rates for completed and agreed job plans \u2013 it struggles to reach 60% as a national average \u2013 and to use the data in job plans to understand more clearly why the demand on our health services is not being adequately met by the clinical capacity \u2013 people \u2013 we have in place. At RLDatix we are closely involved at a national and regional level with this programme.<\/strong>\u201c<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n For NHS Trusts employing job-planned doctors, this is a great opportunity for them to work with their clinicians and managers to ensure that job plan \u2018sign-off\u2019 compliance improves swiftly. Not because of the need to just hit a number, but because having a high percentage of agreed plans helps employers to fully reconcile what they believe to be happening amongst their workforce with what is documented as actually happening. That has implications for performance and for finance. For doctors, it matters because only through effective job planning can their hard work be properly captured and remunerated. For patients it matters most of all \u2013 because job planning is now being seen, finally, as a way in which we can influence access to care and, ultimately, find ways to speed up clinic and operating theatre waiting times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, my message for this month is a simple one \u2013 please, take any opportunity you can to help improve jo plan \u2018sign-off\u2019 rates where you work.<\/strong> The regulators are pursuing this closely, especially from the next financial year, which is only weeks away. Every job plan we can agree, is a step nearer to providing better care. It also helps staff morale and wellbeing. The days of jib planning being seen as an onerous and tedious administrative hoop to jump through are, I believe, behind us, and we need to embrace and support this vital element of how we plan and provide care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019re excited to introduce the latest updates to our workforce solutions: JobPlan 1.14, Optima 11.4.4 andBankStaff<\/strong>. Designed with medics in mind, these updates improve performance, enhance functionality, and streamline staffing processes\u2014helping you plan, fill shifts, and maintain safe staffing levels more efficiently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2b07\ufe0f Click the links below to view our product release articles.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\udcc5 Tuesday, 11th March 2025 | 2pm-3pm GMT | Location: Zoom<\/p>\n\n\n\n This webinar will explore the critical role of job planning in driving safety, productivity and fairness within NHS Trusts. Learn how to overcome common challenges, align job plans with service demand, and meet NHS England\u2019s targets, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Join us as we break down the components of a successful job planning round and provide actionable insights to support your organisation\u2019s compliance, efficiency, and overall wellbeing goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Key Learnings \ud83d\udca1<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Attendees will gain valuable insights and techniques, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Take the first step towards revolutionising your job planning process. Register now to reserve your spot.Register here<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Quick Tips<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maximise the efficiency of your job planning with our JobPlan Quick Tips document<\/strong>. Stay informed with notification alerts, track the Sign Off Timeline, and easily add objectives and required resources. Use the General Information section to update key employment details and attach supporting documents. Customise your job plans with flexible scheduling options, including Timetabled, Annualised, Hot Activity, Flexible, and On-Call structures. Share these tips with your team to help them get the most out of their job plans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Need more support?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Contact us at medics@rldatix.com<\/a><\/strong>Download the document<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Do you need some support with your job planning? <\/p>\n\n\n\n Our job planning experts are on hand to enhance your team\u2019s capabilities, supporting you to identify areas for improvement and offer best practice solutions. Our Annual Job Planning Review ensures your job plans in the JobPlan system are accurate and aligned with your rosters, helping to facilitate 100% compliance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We can help to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sometimes, you just need an extra pair of expert hands \u2013 Find out more about the Annual Job Planning Review here<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Speak to a member of the team for more information:Get in touch<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Crafting effective and balanced doctor schedules: best practices for medical staffing teams <\/p>\n\n\n\n Dr Jonathan Fenwick<\/strong> | Paediatric Speciality Trainee Registrar, Health Education England (North West), North West Single Lead Employer (Mersey & West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Watch this insightful session designed to inspire and educate medical staffing teams on best practices for creating doctor schedules that are both effective and considerate. We explored proven strategies to avoid common pitfalls that lead to unbalanced or stressful rosters, ensuring that schedules meet the needs of both healthcare providers and patients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n By focusing on thoughtful planning and collaboration, we aim to help you build rotas that enhance job satisfaction, reduce burnout and improve overall team performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Click the link below to access the session on-demand\u00a0<\/strong>Watch on-demand<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n from Customer Success<\/p>\n\n\n\n Each month we will be sharing a top-tip from our team to help you to deliver exceptional care. This month we\u2019d like to share with you a few words of wisdom, alongside an interesting article we think you might be valuable to you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c<\/strong><\/em>If you want to drive both job planning compliance and quality, its key to have a well-defined objective and engage with different personas involved in job planning.<\/strong>\u201c<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Have you seen this NHS England paper on productivity and the ongoing work to support productivity improvement? The report features the 95% job plan sign off targets. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cA consultant job planning project has been launched, led by the national medical director for secondary care and all 7 regional medical directors. National and regional improvement support is currently being established to support and skill up local clinical and operational leaders, in addition to the national guidance and toolkits already published. The objectives of the work are to:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Click here to read more<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n We have spoken with over 80 organisations so far this month<\/strong> regarding medics rostering, job planning and rota. We are here to help and keen to speak to as many as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Please reach out to your Customer Support Manager to arrange a call or email medics@rldatix.com<\/a>.\u200b<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Trust: Transforming AHP workforce planning: a journey towards better patient outcomes and improved staffing levels with JobPlan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Trust embarked on a journey to implement job planning for Allied Health Professionals (AHPs) across the organisation. An initiative driven by the need to improve workforce management, ensure safer staffing levels, and enhance patient outcomes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Transforming Healthcare with Data and Humanity<\/p>\n\n\n\n In our latest episodes of The Connection podcast, we explore two critical aspects of modern healthcare: operational planning and data-driven decision-making. Join Darren Kilroy and Liz Jones as they dissect the NHS Operational Planning Guidance, and listen to Andy Cowper and Will Browne share insights on making healthcare data truly actionable from the RLDatix Connected Health and Care Summit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Key learnings: NHS Operational Planning<\/p>\n\n\n\n Key learnings: Turning Data into Action<\/p>\n\n\n\n At RLDatix, we\u2019re committed to bringing people and technology together to create safer, more effective healthcare systems. We hope these insights inspire your organisation\u2019s approach to planning and data utilisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83c\udfa7 Listen to both episodes now on <\/strong>Apple Podcasts<\/strong><\/a> | Spotify<\/strong><\/a> | <\/strong>YouTube<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Monthly Insights from a Medical Director Dr. Darren Kilroy, Medical Director, RLDatix Job planning for…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":true,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[50],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8541","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog","primary-category-blog"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nOur latest product updates<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Upcoming Webinar: How job planning can improve safety, drive productivity and enhance wellbeing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Discover the benefits job plans bring to both organisations and individual consultants.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Learn how collaborative job planning can lead to improved quality and consistency.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
<\/strong>Address obstacles like communication gaps and the complexity of job planning processes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Master proven strategies for running a smooth and effective job planning round.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\nDownload | Quick tips for medics job planning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Introducing the RLDatix Annual Job Planning Review<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Webinar | On-Demand<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Tip of the Month \ud83d\udcad<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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New Customer Story<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Podcast | From Planning to Action<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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