Friday, 17th December 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic has put immense pressure on Australian healthcare facilities, however for South Australia, the pandemic has provided an opportunity to improve staff resourcing and the quality of patient care, through the implementation of a smarter and more efficient staff rostering system.
Rostering and scheduling staff is a common problem faced by hospitals worldwide. So, when the Royal Adelaide Hospital Emergency Department, one of the most complicated and challenging hospital departments in South Australia, found success with Core Schedule’s tailored cloud-based solutions, it made sense to install this agile system further across the Central Adelaide Local Health Network (CALHN).
With state borders on the brink of opening and the threat of more cases looming, the CALHN knew they needed to act quick to commence their Rapid COVID Response Project. The Core Schedule team were given the exceptionally tight deadline of three weeks, to deploy their full suite of rostering and scheduling tools, to a mammoth 15 services, incorporating over 600 FTE’s. What makes Core Schedule’s systems so successful, is the fact they are developed by people who understand the healthcare industry and therefore systems are tailored to each department, area and team. This customisation made the project timeline even more challenging, yet with the full support of the Core Schedule delivery team and working hand-in-hand with the CALHN project team, the project was a success and all systems implemented by the deadline.
Why was this project so important to the lives of South Australian residents? Successful healthcare stems from creating a safe and healthy environment for all who work in healthcare. Part of creating that balance starts with smart scheduling; placing the right people, into the right place, at the right time. Core Schedule’s tools easily manage complex rules and requests, creating a clear, fair and accessible system. Now doctors and nurses, no longer spend many hours rostering and allocating staff, fixing mistakes and making last minute changes – a demanding process with huge knock-on effects, leading to overwork, burnout and less time for patients. Now, there is more time to focus on actually helping people, which greatly enriches patient care.
Core Schedule are proudly celebrating the project’s success and continue their mission of improving healthcare professionals’ schedules, creating a safer and more efficient work environment and making everyone’s lives easier.