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NHS At Work Release 7.2

  • Updated

Good news! NHS at Work Release 7.2 was released on 28th January 2026 and included the following new enhancements:

 

 

Corrections to Working‑Time Calculations for Non‑Residential On‑Call (NROC) Shifts

Updates in Release 7.2 ensure that NROC duties are now fully and accurately accounted for in the 72-hour rolling window calculations across both Rota and Roster. These changes improve consistency, compliance, and confidence in rule validation.


Key functionality:

  1. Accurate NROC Hour Calculations in Rota

The system now correctly calculates working hours for NROC shifts using:

  • Start Time → NR Start Time
  • Plus, Estimated Call-Out Time (if provided)

If NR details are not provided, the system will automatically default to:

  • Start Time → End Time

 

  1. Updated Logic for 72-Hour Violation Triggering

A 72-hour rule violation will be triggered only when the combined total hours across all duties exceed 72 hours within a 168-hour period. The corrected working-time logic is now consistently applied when:

  • Creating rosters using Rota.
  • Importing rota patterns. Note: The updated logic currently applies to new shift types created through the Rota Import process. Existing imported shift types will continue to trigger based on the start and end times of the shifts.

Benefits:

  • Accurate working hour calculations for all NROC shift configurations
  • Correctly triggered 72-hour violations, reducing false positives
  • Improved audit accuracy for compliance reporting
  • Greater flexibility for rota owners when modifying unissued patterns

 


Organisation‑Controlled Mandatory Two‑Stage Leave Authorisation

 

Release 7.2 introduces new governance controls for trusts requiring strict multi‑stage leave approval processes — particularly supporting Consultant leave workflows at Norfolk & Suffolk.
 

Key functionality:

  1. Restrict Primary Approvers from Authorising Second-Stage Leave

Primary Leave Approvers can no longer approve requests that have already escalated to Secondary approval — from anywhere in the system (Roster, My Roster, Manage Requests, etc.). This resolves existing inconsistencies where approval was sometimes still possible from Manage Requests.

 

  1. Updated Button Labels for Clarity

To ensure users understand which approval stage they are performing:

  • “Escalate” → “First-Stage Approve”
  • “Approve” → “Second-Stage Approve” (only when Two-Stage Approval is enabled)
     

Across:

  • Roster (all views)
  • My Roster
  • Manage Requests


In ellipses menus:

  • “Escalate/Decline” → “Approve/Decline”

 

For one-stage setups:

  • If a user escalates leave, the approval button now displays “Second-Stage Approve” for consistency.

     

  1. Support for Trust Super Admins for Leave Outside Roster Periods

When leave is requested outside a medic’s roster period:

  • If no Primary Approvers are available, Trust Super Admins can perform the First-Stage approval
  • If leave is already escalated, Trust Super Admins may complete the Second-Stage approval

 

Benefits:

  • Clear, consistent approval workflows
  • Prevents unauthorised approvals, ensuring governance compliance
  • Support for complex and cross-team leave scenarios
  • No blockers for processing leave outside roster periods

 


Introduction of the Zendesk Support Portal

The Help link within NHS at Work now directs all users to our new support portal:
https://nhsatwork-support.liaisongroup.com/hc/en-gb

What’s new?

  • A new modern look
  • An all-new 24/7 self-service Knowledge Base, full of step-by-step guides and helpful hints:
  • New AI-powered Search function giving you easier and faster access to the answers you need
  • Online access to NHS At Work Release Notes

 

 

Coming soon…

ESR Absence Reporting Integration

We're excited to share that ESR integration is coming soon to NHS at Work!

This new feature will allow Rota and Rostering Managers to report absence data directly to ESR with a single click — removing the need for double entry and improving accuracy and timeliness of workforce records.

 

Enhanced Reporting

We’re introducing Advanced Tableau Reporting, giving Trusts powerful new tools to analyse and visualise key workforce trends directly from NHS at Work data.

Whether you're managing compliance, planning capacity, or investigating workforce pressures, this upcoming feature will provide interactive dashboards designed to support deeper insights and better decision-making.

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