If you have previously run a self-roster period, there are some housekeeping tasks that are important when you start to prepare for the next one. This article takes you through the steps. We recommend that you do the steps in order.
Other sources of help: if you have not done self-rostering before
If you do not know what type of self-roster you would like, start with this article: Selection vs Preference self-rostering
If you need help with your first self-roster period, or want a refresher, or want to substantially change the way you do selection-based self-rostering, you should instead start with this article: Creating a self-roster period
Preparing for the new self-roster period
It is easy to copy the general design of the self-roster period. But it is important to get the data right first.
1. Check that the HosPortal user list is correct
HosPortal works best and it is far more efficient if the HosPortal user list is kept aligned with your list of accredited doctors throughout the year. But it is critically important to check it at self-roster time.
Our strong advice is to make sure you keep all your accredited doctors on HosPortal: do not leave people off just because they are exempt from a roster: it becomes really difficult to audit and check whether each person has been treated correctly if you do not have the full list of staff to review in one place . You can manage exemptions and whether someone will participate in this particular self-roster period separately later on.
There are TWO critical checks to do:
If there are accredited staff missing from HosPortal, add them.
If there are staff who should no longer be on HosPortal, or whose role ends during the roster period, then end their roles at the appropriate date.
You can export the staff list to PDF or Excel if that can assist in comparing with your accreditation lists - use the Export function on the Staff page.
2. Review the call exemptions and inclusions
Review the exemptions to the on-call activity to confirm that it is accurate. Remember to add back people who were exempted in prior period.
If some people never do the roster, or are not eligible to do the roster, then add them to the exemption list under the Call > Admin page.
If some people are eligible to do shifts on the roster but are not participating in this self-roster (e.g. they are on extended leave, or have an age exemption but can participate if they want) then you should not put them on the exemption list: leave them on the roster and just give them a nil quota.
3. Check that the public holidays and any shut-down days treated like public holidays are up to date
To do this, look at your roster on the call page. Days that are treated like public holidays at your facility will have a star icon next to them, like shown in the screenshot below for 7, 9 and 10 April 2023:
If you need to add days like shut-down days then add them as a site holiday.
4. Confirm that you have the necessary data for each user (if using quotas)
If your roster quotas are related to clinical activity (e.g. regular theatre sessions) then update your own records on the relevant clinical activity.
The best way to track quotas and clinical activity is to download the roster participants by spreadsheet from the staff page and enter the data next to their name. You can then upload the relevant data using the spreadsheet after it is complete. Refer to Step 5 in this link here.
You can stop here if you are not yet ready to plan the self-roster process.
Copying a prior self-roster period
Once you have made sure the user data, exemptions and clinical data are up to date, you can quickly create a new selection-based self-roster period by copying a prior setup. On any roster page, go to Self-roster and the Finalised tab (A) and select Duplicate under the Actions menu (B).
You can then review it, and set the new roster periods, by following the instructions for creating a self-roster period.