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Creating, Approving and Issuing Rota Patterns

  • Updated

Purpose

Rota Patterns are the patterns of shifts representing the demand of a department over the course of a set time period. Full Time (FT) and Less Than Full Time (LTFT) rota patterns can be created, compliance-checked, costed, and approved in NHS At Work. This guide covers the steps to create and approve a new rota pattern and consists of the following sections:

 

 

Creating a Full Time (FT) Rota Pattern

  1. From the left-hand menu, navigate to ‘Rota’, then ‘Library’, and then ‘Active’.
  2. Click the green ‘+’ icon  on the right-hand side to create a new rota pattern.
  3. Complete the form with the Establishment Data relevant to your rota pattern, then click ‘Next’. You can either enter a rota code of your own, if you have a local code system, or tick ‘Auto generate’ for NHS At Work to create one.
  1. Enter the Applicability Details for your rota, including the dates, type of pattern, days of the week, and shift types to be worked.

Top Tip! The ‘Effective To’ date is optional, and leaving this blank allows more flexibility if this pattern may be required on future rosters.

Top Tip! If your rota pattern includes On Call Shifts, ensure the ‘Estimated Call Out Time’ is recorded to maintain accurate pay calculations.

  1. Complete the normal working day hours, and then confirm the grades expected to work on this rota and the WTEs on each.
  2. Input the FT Leave Allowance for each grade - this is for cost calculation purposes, actual leave entitlements for each individual will be set up separately.
  3. Build your desired pattern by either:
  • Typing the letter associated with the required shift into the relevant space on the grid e.g. An Early = ‘A’ in the example below.
  • Dragging the Shift Cards from the ‘Assignable Shifts’ section into the relevant space on the grid.
  • While holding down the ‘shift’ key, click all boxes where a shift type should be added, then drag a shift onto one of them to multi-assign.
  1. Once complete, click ‘Save’ and then ’Validate’. This runs the compliance engine and flags any warnings or violations on the right based on the Resident Doctor 2016 Contract.
  2. If there are any flags, review and, if needed, amend the pattern, then click ‘Save’ and ‘Validate’ again. Repeat this step until there are no flags, or until there are only flags you are happy to send for approval.
  3. Review the pattern details including:
  • Coverage – Click the ellipsis to the top-right of the shift grid and select ‘View Coverage’.
  • Pay Calculations – Open the Pay Calculations section in the top of the rota pattern screen using the downward arrow. These costs will update in real time based on the grades and shifts assigned to your pattern.
  • Working Hours – Open the Working Details section in the top of the rota pattern screen using the downward arrow. This will update in real time based on the shifts assigned to your pattern. Full-time patterns must be over an average of 40 hours per week to proceed to approval.

Top Tip! Use the ideal coverage figure at the top of the coverage screen to set your minimum staffing number. The red (no coverage), amber (less than ideal coverage) and green (ideal coverage) will update based on this number.

  1. When you’re ready, click the rota ellipsis button next to the Rota Name, and click ‘Send for approval’.
  2. If there are outstanding warnings or violations, you will need to select a referral reason explaining why the pattern is non-compliant. Non-compliant rotas will automatically be escalated for further review and approval.
  1. Select the approver from the dropdown menu and add any comments to support their review. Click ‘Submit’.
  2. Once approved, the rota pattern will move to the ‘Pre-Live’ section of the Active Rota Library. Click the rota pattern ellipsis and choose ’Release to Roster’ to begin using the pattern in a roster.

 

 

Copying a Rota Pattern

 Top Tip! It is only possible to copy a Full Time rota pattern.

  1. From the left-hand menu, navigate to ‘Rota’, then ‘Library’, and then ‘Active’.
  2. Use Search to find the rota you wish to copy.
  3. Click on the rota pattern ellipsis and select ‘Copy Rota’.
  1. Complete the name, rota code, and effective from date for your new pattern, then click ‘Copy’.
  2. To amend your new pattern as needed, and send it for approval, follow steps 7 onwards in the ‘Creating a Full Time Rota Pattern’ section.

 

 

Approving a Rota Pattern

Once a rota pattern has been created and sent for approval, approvers can access the awaiting pattern in one of two ways:

  1. If you were selected by the rota pattern creator as the approver, you will receive an email notification containing a link you can click on.

OR

  1. If you were not the notification recipient, log into NHS At Work, from the left-hand menu navigate to ‘Rota’, then ‘Library’, then ‘Active’. Use the search box to find the rota requiring approval, click the ellipsis and select ‘Review Rota’.
  1. Review the pattern - pay calculations and working details can be accessed by clicking the downward arrows next to these sections above the pattern grid.
  2. Once you’ve made your decision, click on the Rota Pattern ellipsis, next to the Rota Pattern name, and select ‘Accept or Reject’.
  1. Add any notes you feel are relevant, then click ‘Accept’ or ‘Reject’ as appropriate.

 

 

Rota Approval and Release Indicators

You can tell what stage of approval and release a rota pattern is at by the status column:

  • Draft – Has not been sent for approval
  • Pending Primary/Secondary Approval – Awaiting approval from the primary or secondary approver
  • Rejected – The rota has been rejected and requires rework and resubmission
  • Pre-Live – The rota has been approved but not released to roster.
  • Live – The rota has been approved and released to roster.

You can tell where an approved rota pattern is in the rostering process by the colour of the paper plane icon at the start of its line:

generated_image.png
 No Icon: Not approved.
Red Plane.png
 Red:  Approved but not released to roster.
Yellow Plane.png
 Amber:  Released to Roster but not issued.
Green Plane.png
 Green:  Rota has been issued.

 

 

Creating a Less Than Full Time (LTFT) Rota Pattern

Some medics may require a Less-Than-Full-Time rota pattern to reflect their agreed reduced hours contract. LTFT patterns are created from a fully approved Full Time equivalent pattern, so this will need to be done first, as above.

  1. From the left-hand menu, navigate to ‘Rota’, then ‘Library’, and then ‘Active’.
  2. Search for the approved full-time pattern, click the Rota Pattern ellipsis on the end of its line, and select ‘Create LTFT Rota’.
  3. Fill in the required fields in the pop-up box with the relevant details.

Top Tip! The LTFT value must be a percentage value e.g. 80, and not a WTE value e.g. 0.8. Check the associated LTFT hours value for clarity before proceeding.

  1. Remove shifts from the full-time pattern that will not be worked by the LTFT medic(s). Click ‘Save & Validate’.
  2. Follow steps 9 - 14 from the full-time rota pattern instructions, above, to validate, approve and release your rota pattern ready to roster.

 

 

Issuing a Rota Pattern

Once a rota pattern is approved, you will have the option to ‘issue’ a rota pattern, creating an exportable copy ready to be shared with medics.

  1. From the left-hand menu, navigate to ‘Rota’, then ‘Library’, and then ‘Active’.
  2. Search for your rota pattern, click on the rota pattern ellipsis and select ‘Issue Rota Pattern’.
  1. Review by clicking on the downward arrows the left of each section. Select/deselect the details you wish to include using the tickboxes.

Top Tip! If you wish to create a separate export for each grade, deselect all but one grade in the nodal points section, continue the steps below to export, then repeat for each grade.

  1. Too add or edit any other relevant details on the export, e.g. if you wish to note LTFT uplift, open the notes section, click the ‘pencil’ icon, add your notes and then click ‘Save’.
  2. Click the ‘Export’ button in the top right corner of the Issue Rota screen to download a copy of the rota pattern to issue independently of the system.

OR

  1. Click ‘Issue Rota’, select the relevant recipients from the dropdown list, and then click ‘Send’ to have the rota pattern sent by email automatically.

 

Version 2.0 - Approved 22/12/2025