The purpose of this guide is to support system users and project teams in understanding the terminology used throughout NHS At Work, related Implementation documentation, and User Guides. where they may be unfamiliar. Terms are in alphabetical order, use the shortcuts below to jump to different sections:
Term |
Description |
1st Level Approver |
The person responsible for primary approval of leave. |
2nd Level Approver |
The person responsible for secondary approval of leave, when 2-stage approval is active. |
Absence |
See Unavailability |
Additional Hours Premium |
Additional Hours Premium describes additional pay medics receive for working above Full Time hours. |
Additional Shift |
A shift created in the roster, to meet an urgent and unexpected demand, over and above planned staffing levels i.e. outside of the shifts created from a rota pattern or demand template. |
Agency Direct Engagement |
A temporary staff engagement model where an NHS Trust chooses an appropriate candidate for a vacancy and then employs them directly on a fixed-term contract. It is a cost effective method of filling short-term vacancies compared to employing candidates via a recruitment agency. |
Agency Staff |
Staff members sourced by an external organisation and contracted on a shift-by-shift basis. (See also Bank Staff, Collaborative Bank Staff, Substantive Staff). |
Approval |
The sign off required by an appropriate authority on certain rostering processes or decisions e.g. the approval of a leave request or of a new rota pattern. |
Approver |
The appropriate authority with permission to sign off on specific rostering processes or actions. Some processes may require more than 1 level of approval e.g. a leave request may be set at 1 or 2 levels of approval; a new rota pattern may require up to 4 levels of approval (operational, educational, clinical and financial). |
Assignment Number |
A unique identifier of a staff member's employee number, combined with a -1 for their second post, -2 for their third post, and so on. |
Availability |
Describes the period of time a member of staff is able to work. (See also Unavailability). |
Bank Staff |
An NHS organisation's in-house list of temporary staff. (See also Agency Staff, Collaborative Bank Staff, Substantive Staff.) |
Basic Salary |
The annual pay due to a staff member based on their grade and the average hours they are due to work over the course of a rota pattern up to a maximum of Full Time hours. Additional enhancements may be due to medics on top of their basic salary based on their schedule of work. (See also: Night Premium, Additional Hours Premium, On Call Availability Allowance, Weekend Allowance). |
Collaborative Bank Staff |
Staff employed to work as bank staff within a group of NHS organisations, rather than a single NHS organisation (See also Agency Staff, Bank Staff, Substantive Staff). |
Cost Centre |
A numerical ID denoting a distinct area of an NHS Organisation to which a budget and costs are allocated. |
Coverage View |
When creating rotas, the Coverage View displays whether allocations provide even coverage and whether ideal coverage is met. (See Introduction to the Coverage View for more details. See also Ideal Coverage). |
Engagement Type |
The method by which a staff member is procured for a vacancy. This could be Substantive or, if procured via TempRE, this will be one of Bank, Collaborative Bank, Agency Direct Engagement, or Standard Placement. |
ESR (Electronic Staff Record) |
Current National NHS HR Database and payroll system. |
Establishment Data |
The data required to create a rota pattern, including service requirements, relevant contract, shift requirements and grade types. |
Estimated Call-Out Time |
An estimate of the number of hours a medic may be called in from home to work while on a Non-Residential On-Call shift. (See also On-Call, Non-Residential On-Call). |
Evergreen Browser |
A browser that is automatically updated to new versions rather than requiring updates to be distributed by the manufacturer. |
Exception Report |
A report completed by a resident doctor to raise a safety concern or variance between the agreed rota pattern and the shifts worked. e.g. A medic may raise an exception report if they feel they have had to stay later on shift than they were scheduled for. (See also Exception Type, Immediate Safety Concern). |
Exception Type |
The category of an exception report. There are 4 types: Difference in hours, Difference in Pattern of hours, Education and Training Opportunities, and Level of support Available - Service Commitments. (See also Exception Report). |
Fixed Rota Pattern |
A rota pattern defined for a specified period of time. (See also Rota Pattern, Rolling Rota Pattern). |
Full Time (FT) |
A medic who is contracted to work 40 hours per week is said to work 'Full Time'. (See also Less Than Full Time (LTFT)). |
Grade |
The experience level of the post a staff member holds e.g. Resident doctors may start their training as an FY1 and work up to Consultant. |
Group Roster |
A group of rosters that are viewed and actioned together. For example, an organisation may have one roster for "FT Cardiology" and another for "LTFT Cardiology". By creating a group roster, the roster managers can view and manage all Cardiology staff and shifts in one place. |
Guardian of Safe Working (GSW) |
An appointed staff member within an NHS organisation, typically from the medical community, who oversees safe working practice for resident doctors. They can request a work schedule review on behalf of a medic or fine the NHS organisation for breaching contract rules. |
Ideal Coverage |
The optimum number of medics required for a shift to run safely. Also relates to the appropriate allocation of medics across a rota pattern. (See also Coverage View). |
| Immediate Safety Concern (ISC) | An immediate and substantial risk to the safety of patients or staff raised by a medic via an exception report. |
Leave |
See Unavailability. |
Less Than Full Time (LTFT) |
A medic who is contracted to work less than 40 hours per week is said to work 'Less Than Full Time'. (See also Full Time (FT)). |
Medic |
A member of staff on a resident doctor contract. |
New Deal Banding |
Banding referred to within the Resident Doctors Contract 2002 for Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. |
Night Premium |
An additional pay enhancement due to medics scheduled to work outside of standard working hours. |
Nodal Point |
A pay point linked to a doctor's grade used in payment calculations within the Junior Doctor Contract 2016 in England. |
Non-Residential On-Call |
A medic is not at their place of work but available to be contacted and/or to attend a particular department if they're needed during their on-call period. (See also 'Estimated Call-Out Time') |
Occurrence Date |
In exception reporting, the date on which the exception took place. |
On-Call |
A type of shift where a medic is paid to be available to be contacted and to attend a department if required for their expertise. For medics, an on-call shift can be either Residential or Non-Residential. |
On-Call Availability Allowance |
Additional pay medics are entitled to for working non-residential on-calls (NROCs) as recompense for being 'available to work' at any time during that shift, and therefore unable to utilise this time at home freely. |
Outcome |
The final decision made regarding whether a resolution is required to an exception report and, if so, how it is to be resolved. |
Outsource |
The process of sending a vacant shift to be filled by temporary staff via bank or agency staff in TempRE. |
Outsourced Shift |
A shift that has been sent to TempRE to be filled by bank or agency staff. |
Pay Calculations |
The calculations of the different pay elements due to a medic based on their pattern of work, referred to within the Junior Doctor Contract 2016 (England). e.g. basic salary, additional hours, night premium. |
Post |
The specific vacancy a staff member has filled. A staff member may hold one full time post or one or more part time posts. They may also hold one or more bank posts for working shifts outsourced to TempRE. |
Pre-Live |
This is a Rota Status meaning a rota is fully approved and released to roster, but it is not yet in active use. (See also Rota Status, Release to Roster). |
Publication Date |
The date on which a roster was last published. |
Publish |
The process of releasing changes made to a roster for medics to be able to view. This action will also trigger notifications to inform medics whose work schedule has changed. |
Release to Roster |
Once a rota pattern has been fully approved, releasing to roster is the last step required to enable the new rota pattern to be used to create a new roster period. |
Residential On-Call |
A medic is working on shift but available to be contacted and/or to attend a particular department if they're needed during their on-call period. |
Return to Work Date |
The date on which a staff member returns to work after a period of sickness. |
Rolling Rota Pattern |
A rota pattern defined to rotate for a set number of weeks, from a specified start date (with an optional end date). If specified, once the end date is reached, the rota is moved automatically from the active library to the archived library. Example 1: If the rolling rota pattern is six weeks long and the end date is unspecified, the rota pattern runs for the initial six weeks, and then starts again from week 1 of the pattern continuously. Example 2: If the rolling rota pattern is six weeks long and the end date is in four months' time, the rota pattern runs for the initial six weeks and starts again from week 1 of the pattern every six weeks until the end date is reached. (See also: Rota Pattern; Fixed Rota Pattern.) |
Roster |
A schedule of work assigned to staff over a specific period of time based on a Rota Pattern. |
Roster Creator / Roster Manager |
A person responsible for creating, filling, and managing rosters. |
Roster Group |
See Group Roster |
Roster Period |
The date range for which a roster is created once medics are assigned to slots. Organisations may choose to align roster periods to rotations, financial year. |
Rota |
See Rota Pattern |
Rota Library |
A list of all rota patterns in NHS At Work, divided into Active and Archived sections. |
Rota Pattern |
A working schedule of various shift types for a department or specialty that ensures there will be enough staff scheduled to work at any one time for a shift to run safely and effectively. A rota denotes to the shift pattern required, rather than who will be working - this detail is added at roster level. A rota pattern for resident doctors should be compliant with junior doctor contract 2016 and requires approval before it can be released to roster. |
Rota Status |
A rota's current stage in the rota creation process. Active rotas can have a status of: Draft (currently being created); Pending Approval (created but not approved); Pre-Live (approved but not in use); Live (approved and in use). Archived rotas can have a status of: Non-active (not in use) and Completed (previously in use). |
Rotation |
A time period for which a staff member is assigned to a specialty. For junior doctors, there are national guidelines which determine the rotation start dates for 3-, 4-, or 6-monthly rotations. |
Shift |
A single time period for which a staff member is required. |
Shift Category |
A shift falls into one of three categories: Shift (which can have a maximum length of 13 hours); Residential On-Call (maximum 25 hours); or Non-Residential On-Call (maximum 25 hours). |
Shift Note |
Useful information recorded against a shift on a roster. |
Shift Swap |
A process in which a staff member can request another staff member to swap a shift with them. In order for the shift swap to take place, the second staff member must accept the request AND the request must be approved by a user with the appropriate permission (typically a roster manager). |
Shift Type |
A type of shift that can be used to create rota patterns, and will ultimately appear on a roster. Shift types are defined by the NHS organisation, so may vary. Each shift type is for a particular time slot and is associated with a particular colour; all shifts of that type are shaded with the same colour in the roster. (For example, shift types might be: Normal Day; Short Day; Long Day; Twilight.) |
Site |
A location within an NHS organisation where shifts are due to be worked. |
Specialty |
An area of medical specialism in which a staff member may be experienced. In order to be placed on a roster, staff members will need to meet specialism requirements. |
Split Shift |
A split shift is a shift that has been partitioned to provide a breakdown of the activities and locations a medic will be working during different time periods within that shift. A split shift can contain two to five parts and is particularly useful on long day shifts. |
Staff List |
The record of all staff members in NHS At Work. |
Staff Member |
A person who can be assigned a shift in a roster (See also: medic). |
Staff Note |
A staff note is indicated by an icon next to a staff member's name. |
Staff Tier |
A grouping of the possible grades that can fill a shift. Staff tiers are defined by the NHS organisation, so may vary. For example, a tier might be: Tier 1 = FY1 and FY2, Tier 2 - ST1 and ST2 etc. |
Substantive Staff |
Staff members contracted to work at an NHS organisation for a set number of hours. |
Superuser |
A member of staff within an organisation fully trained on all NHS At Work functionality. Generally responsible for system administration, and acts as the first point of contact for all user queries and issues. |
Supplier |
Any external organisation that provides an NHS organisation with goods, services, or staff. This can include collaborative banks and agencies. |
TempRE |
The Liaison Group digital solution for organising cover for vacant shifts with temporary staff, either from the organisation's bank or from an external third party supplier. |
Time Off In Lieu (TOIL) |
Time accrued by a staff member for working more hours than scheduled, which can later be reclaimed by working less hours than scheduled, typically with approval from a roster manager. |
Unavailability |
A record of a staff member being unavailable to work a shift including the start and end date, primary reason (e.g. Annual Leave, Sickness, Study), and secondary reason (e.g. Academic Day, 'Cold, Cough & Flu'). |
Violation |
A message shown within NHS At Work when a new rota undergoing validation, or a change on a roster, causes a major breach of the rules outlined in the Resident Doctor 2016 contract or employment law. This is to trigger users to carefully consider whether the rota/action is appropriate. Users can then either heed the violation and cancel the action/make further changes or, if the violation is deemed necessary, it can be escalated to a Guardian of Safe Working for approval. |
Ward |
A section of a hospital which cares for patients requiring similar treatment. A ward can be associated with one or many specialties. Wards can be set against shifts to identify the location the assigned medic will work. |
Warning |
A message shown within NHS At Work when a new rota undergoing validation, or a change on a roster, causes a minor breach of the rules outlined in the Resident Doctor 2016 contract. This is to trigger users to carefully consider whether the rota/action is appropriate and then to heed or dismiss the warning. |
Weekend Allowance |
Additional pay medics are entitled to for working weekends, i.e. where they are scheduled to work one or more shifts beginning on a Saturday or a Sunday. The allowance only applies where medics are scheduled to work a minimum frequency of 1 in 8 weekends across the length of the rota pattern, and is calculated as a percentage of their basic salary depending on the weekend frequency. |
Work Schedule Review |
As part of the exception reporting process, a review of a resident doctor's rota pattern can be requested either by the affected medic or by the Guardian of Safe Working as part of the resolution pathway. |
Whole Time Equivalent (WTE) |
Total contracted hours expressed as a multiple of full-time contracted hours. For resident doctors, 1 WTE equates to 40 hours per week. |
WVR Engine |
Warnings, Violations and Rules Engine - The collective name for the series of checks NHS At Work conducts against employment law and the Resident Doctors 2016 contract to establish whether rotas and rosters are compliant. |