Feature Summary
The Add Unallocated Shift dialog in Allocations: Edit allows administrators to assign one or more staff members to an unallocated shift slot, and to either publish the assignment immediately or save it as a draft for later review.
When to Use This
When an unallocated shift exists on the roster and staff need to be assigned to fill the required slot.
When assigning multiple staff members to the same shift at once using the Multiple option.
When you want to publish a staffing assignment immediately so it is visible to staff.
When you want to save a staffing assignment as a draft without publishing it.
When working through several unallocated shifts sequentially using the Go to next option.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Enter Edit Mode
Click Allocations in the left-hand navigation menu.
Click Edit in the top-right corner of the Allocations screen. The view changes to Allocations: Edit, displaying all shifts for the selected date with + icons alongside each location row.
Open the Add Unallocated Shift Dialog
Unallocated shifts appear as shift blocks on the roster without assigned staff names. Click the unallocated shift block to open the Add Unallocated Shift dialog.
The dialog displays:
The shift name, date, time, and duration (e.g. Fri, 13 Mar 2026 • 08:00–12:30 (4.5 h)).
A role dropdown showing the required role for the slot (e.g. Anaesthesia Registrar).
A Search users field.
A Multiple checkbox.
A Set vacant link.
A list of available staff, grouped into: No template and Conflict.
Go to next checkbox, Publish button, and Draft button.
Assign a Single Staff Member
Click a staff member’s name in the list to select them. Their name highlights with a border.
The count at the bottom of the dialog updates (e.g. 1 selected).
Click Publish to assign and publish the shift immediately, or click Draft to save the assignment without publishing.
Assign Multiple Staff Members
Tick the Multiple checkbox. This allows more than one staff member to be selected.
Click each staff member’s name to select them. The count updates with each selection (e.g. 2 selected, 3 selected, 4 selected).
Click Publish to assign and publish all selected staff, or click Draft to save the assignments without publishing.
Move to the Next Unallocated Shift
Tick the Go to next checkbox before clicking Publish or Draft. After the current shift is saved, the dialog automatically opens for the next unallocated shift on the roster.
Outcomes After Saving
After clicking Publish — the confirmation message Shift published appears. The shift block updates to display assigned staff members’ full names in pink.
After clicking Draft — the confirmation message Shift drafted appears. The shift block updates to display the staff member’s name in yellow/cream, indicating a draft state.
Related Settings or Dependencies
Allocations: Edit mode — The Add Unallocated Shift dialog is only accessible from Allocations: Edit mode. It is not available in the standard Allocations view.
Unallocated shift type — The dialog only appears when clicking a shift set up as an unallocated roster type. Shifts assigned to named staff do not trigger this dialog.
Staff categories — Available staff are grouped into No template (no template constraint) and Conflict (scheduling conflict). Both groups are selectable.
Multiple checkbox — When not ticked, only one staff member can be selected. Ticking Multiple enables selection of two or more staff for the same shift slot.
Published vs. Draft — Published shifts are visible to assigned staff. Drafted shifts are saved but not yet visible. Display colour differs: pink for published, yellow/cream for drafted.
Set vacant — The Set vacant link is available in the dialog alongside the staff selection list. Its function is distinct from assigning staff.