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Shift Swap Approvals

When two clinicians agree to exchange shifts, the swap goes through a two-stage process. First, the target clinician accepts the request. Then the swap lands on your desk for final approval. This page explains how to review and approve or reject incoming swap requests.

Where to Find Swap Approvals

From the admin dashboard, navigate to Shift Management and look for the Swap Approvals link. This opens the Swap Approvals page, which lists all requests that have been accepted by the target clinician and are waiting for your decision.

The page header shows the count of pending requests. If there are none, you will see a message confirming that all swaps have been processed.

The Approval Process

The Swap Approvals List

Each pending request is shown as a card displaying:

  • The requester (the clinician who initiated the swap) and the target clinician (the one who accepted).
  • How long ago the swap was requested and when the target clinician accepted it.
  • The two shifts being exchanged: who offers which shift, the date, and the shift type (Standard, Duty, and so on).

Each card has a Review and Approve/Reject button that takes you to the detailed review page.

The Review Page

Clicking through to the review page gives you a full picture before you make a decision. The page is split into three sections.

Swap Summary -- Shows both clinicians side by side with the details of the shift each one is offering: the date, shift type, and duration (full day or half day). If either shift is a locum booking, this is flagged.

Validation Status -- The system automatically checks two rules and displays the result:

  • Whether the two shift types match (for example, both are Standard, or both are Duty). Shift types must match for a swap to be valid.
  • Whether the locum booking status matches. A locum shift can only swap with another locum shift.

If both checks pass, the section is highlighted in green. If there is a mismatch, it is highlighted in red, which is a strong signal to reject the swap.

Staffing Context -- For each of the two affected dates, the page shows:

  • The day of the week.
  • Who will be working on that date after the swap is applied.
  • The total number of clinicians scheduled.

This lets you see at a glance whether the swap would leave a date understaffed.

Approving a Swap

  1. Review the Swap Summary, Validation Status, and Staffing Context on the review page.
  2. If everything looks correct, click Approve Swap.

When you approve a swap:

  • The clinician assignments on both shifts are exchanged immediately.
  • A bulk operation record is created so the swap can be undone within 7 days from the Shift Management undo history.
  • The system rechecks for conflicts at the moment of approval (for example, if another swap was approved in the meantime that changed one of these shifts). If a conflict is found, the approval is rejected and you will see an error message.
  • Both clinicians receive an email confirming the swap was approved.
  • An audit log entry is recorded.

Rejecting a Swap

  1. Review the details on the review page.
  2. Enter a reason in the text field. A reason is required when rejecting, so both clinicians understand the decision.
  3. Click Reject Swap.

When you reject a swap:

  • The swap request is marked as rejected. The original shifts are unchanged.
  • Both clinicians receive an email letting them know the swap was not approved, including the reason you provided.

What to Check

Before approving, consider the following.

Staffing Levels

Look at the Staffing Context section. Does the swap leave either date with fewer clinicians than needed? Pay particular attention to dates that already have staffing alerts.

Shift Type Compatibility

The validation section tells you whether the shift types match. Swapping a Standard shift for a Duty shift changes the nature of cover on both dates. Approve mismatched swaps only if you are confident the change is acceptable.

Locum Bookings

Locum shifts can only swap with other locum shifts. The system will flag a mismatch. Do not approve a swap that swaps a locum shift with a non-locum shift.

Clinician Availability

The system checks working terms when a swap is first requested, but circumstances can change. If a clinician has since gone on leave or had their working term updated, the swap may no longer be appropriate. If in doubt, check the clinician's current availability before approving.

Fairness

If the same clinician frequently swaps away unpopular shifts (for example, Fridays before a bank holiday), it may be worth flagging with the team. The system does not track swap frequency, so this is a judgement call for the rota administrator.