Shift Swaps¶

This guide explains how to exchange a shift with another clinician. A shift swap lets you trade one of your assigned shifts for one belonging to a colleague, subject to their agreement and admin approval.

How Shift Swaps Work¶

A shift swap goes through three stages before it takes effect.

Stage 1 -- Request. You choose one of your shifts and offer it in exchange for another clinician's shift. The other clinician receives an email notification.

Stage 2 -- Clinician response. The other clinician accepts or declines your request. If they decline, the swap ends there. If they accept, the request moves to stage 3.

Stage 3 -- Admin approval. An administrator reviews the accepted swap and gives final approval or rejects it. Only after admin approval are the shift assignments actually exchanged.

You can track the progress of your swap at every stage from the swap requests page.

Rules for Swap Requests¶

The system enforces a few rules to keep the rota fair and workable.

Same-type swaps only¶

You can only swap a shift with one of the same type:

A standard shift can only be swapped for another standard shift.
A duty shift can only be swapped for another duty shift.
A locum booking can only be swapped for another locum booking.

The swap request page will only show you eligible shifts, so you do not need to check this yourself.

No date conflicts¶

Neither clinician may end up with two shifts on the same date. The system filters out any shifts that would cause a conflict, so you will only see valid options.

Shifts must be in the future¶

You cannot swap a shift that has already passed. Only upcoming shifts within the visible rota period can be offered.

Active working terms¶

Both clinicians must have an active working term covering the dates of both shifts. If either clinician's working term does not cover a swap date, the request will be blocked.

One pending swap per shift¶

You cannot create a new swap request for a shift that already has a pending swap request. You must wait for the existing request to be resolved or cancel it first.

Requesting a Swap¶

Opening the swap request¶

Go to the Calendar from the navigation menu.
Click on any shift on the calendar -- your own or another clinician's.
A shift details pop-up appears. Press the Request Swap button.

You are taken to the swap request page. What you see next depends on whether you clicked your own shift or someone else's.

If you clicked your own shift¶

The page shows the details of your shift at the top under "Your Shift (Being Offered)". Below that is a list of eligible shifts belonging to other clinicians. Each entry shows:

The date of the shift.
The clinician currently assigned.
The shift type and duration.

Select the shift you want to swap for by clicking on it, then press Send Swap Request.

If you clicked another clinician's shift¶

The page shows the shift you want under "Shift You Want". Below that is a list of your own shifts that you could offer in exchange. Each entry shows the date, type, and duration.

Select the shift you want to offer, then press Send Swap Request.

What happens after you submit¶

The swap request is saved with a status of Awaiting Response.
The other clinician receives an email telling them about the request.
You are taken to the swap details page, where you can see the full request and its current status.

Responding to a Swap Request¶

When another clinician asks to swap shifts with you, you will be notified by email. The email shows both shifts (the one they are offering and the one of yours they want) and includes a link to view the request.

Viewing the request¶

You can also find incoming requests without the email link:

Go to the Calendar from the navigation menu.
Click on any shift to open the shift details pop-up.
From the pop-up, navigate to swap requests and select the Requests to Me tab.

Each request shows who it is from, which shifts are involved, and the current status. Click View Details to see the full request.

Accepting¶

On the swap details page, press Accept Swap Request. The status changes to Pending Admin Approval and the request is forwarded to an administrator for final review. The requester is notified by email that you accepted.

Declining¶

On the swap details page, press Decline. A text box appears where you can optionally enter a reason. Press Confirm Decline to reject the swap. The requester is notified by email that you declined, along with any reason you provided.

After Admin Approval¶

When an administrator approves the swap:

The shift assignments are exchanged. You take the shift that was theirs, and they take the shift that was yours.
Both clinicians receive an email confirming the swap has been approved, with a link to view the updated calendar.
The shifts appear under their new owners on the rota calendar.

If an administrator rejects the swap, both clinicians are notified by email with the reason. Your original shift assignments remain unchanged.

Cancelling a Swap Request¶

You can cancel a swap request that you created, but only while it is still awaiting a response from the other clinician. Once they have accepted, you cannot cancel it yourself.

How to cancel¶

Go to the Calendar from the navigation menu.
Click on any shift to open the shift details pop-up.
From the pop-up, navigate to swap requests and select the My Requests tab.
Find the request you want to cancel and click View Details.
On the swap details page, press Cancel Swap Request.
A confirmation prompt appears. Confirm to cancel.

The request is marked as Cancelled and the other clinician is no longer able to act on it.

Viewing Your Swap Requests¶

The swap requests page has two tabs:

Requests to Me -- swap requests from other clinicians that need your response, or that you have already responded to.
My Requests -- swap requests you have sent to others.

Each request is colour-coded by status:

Yellow -- awaiting a response from the other clinician.
Blue -- accepted by the other clinician, pending admin approval.
Green -- approved by admin. The swap is complete.
Red -- declined by the other clinician or rejected by admin.
Grey -- cancelled.

Click View Details on any request to see both shifts side by side, the full timeline, and any actions available to you.