A Day in the Life of a Rota Co-ordinator

 

SELDOC Interview with Clare Garbutt – Rota Co-ordinator 

 

Clare’s background: 

 

Clare has been working in the Out of Hours service for over 14 years and for the last 9 years has been working for SELDOC, She was tupe’d from Croydoc and has never looked back. 

 

She started as a Receptionist working 4 shifts a week at St Helier. It was a really busy service at that time with 4 GP’s on-site as well as mobile doctors. She also covered shifts for the Dulwich sites, as this was close by. 

 

 

Since 2019, I was asked to help out with the Rota at Hanover House, this entailed ringing around Clinicians asking if they could cover a shift, making sure there were no gaps. During this time I was also working as a Shift Manager, so I had a perspective from both working on the front line and back office too. It helps a lot knowing how the two sides come together. My role now is Rota Co-ordinator on a full-time basis. 

The team need to fill around 660 shifts per month and during the pandemic, our rota fill was much less challenging than usual as Locums became more available. However, the main issue was setting up the “working from home” concept. Once the IT had been configured, we needed to ensure there was a tip-top communication strategy in place to ensure all clinicians were available to meet the demand. WhatsApp groups were set up along with regular rota check meetings to ensure all new services were also covered. We now have a great routine, we have regular meetings not just with clinicians but with shift managers, receptionists, and drivers all pulling together to make the service as efficient and reliable as possible for our patients. 

 

Rota fill is what I love about the job most. When it is 100%, I get a real sense of satisfaction. Speaking to Drs and other clinical and non-clinical staff is the best part about the job. You need to build relationships with them, I’ve really enjoyed building that rapport with them, they are an excellent bunch and I really look forward to going into work every day. Ultimately it’s the people that make the job rewarding and also knowing that you are providing an excellent service for patients. 

 

The IT change (upgrading of RotaMaster) which was significant, was the main difference that helped the team work more efficiently. Setting this up and transferring over the information was definitely worth it. Now all clinicians can book shifts through web bookings whereas previously this was managed by email. There is now a robust system in place that is reliable and efficient. 

 

Service-wise, we are always looking at how to improve efficiencies on the job and the team is keen to evolve along with any changes within the company, so offering new ideas and solutions is what we as a team strive for. Career-wise, I am really happy where I am now, but looking back I never thought I would be in this position, it’s all about what is right for you at the time as circumstances change, so do your priorities, I am confident that when the time is right, I will be given the chance to progress and learn new skills to develop my career. What I love about SELDOC is the people, I work with a great team and we support each other, it’s very gratifying to know that you are ultimately part of a team that helps the people who need it most, and also to give the patient a kind and caring experience when they visit or speak to us. 

 

I love to bake, I bake all kinds of dishes, I find this extremely relaxing and my signature dish is Key Lime Pie, any requests, please email me! 

 

Hopefully, in the near future, I would love to learn how to surf, it’s something that I’ve always wanted to do, Cornwall here I come! 

 

Thank you for taking a moment to read this information. We hope you found it interesting. We would love to hear from you if you are interested in what we do and would like to find out a little more. With very best wishes from the SELDOC Team