The problem
When a carer rings in sick, the manager works through a phone list and, failing that, books agency staff. If an agency carer costs $16£12€14A$23C$23 an hour more than your own staff, each 12-hour shift costs $192£144€171A$276C$271 extra; 2 avoidable agency shifts a month is $383£288€343A$553C$541. Building the rota and sorting changes by phone takes another 4 hours a week.
What the AI does
RotaCloud is rota software priced by number of employees. Its Standard plan lists drag-and-drop rota planning, templates, free mobile apps, shift swapping, staff availability patterns, holiday management, and sickness and absence tracking, with notifications by email and push. Staff see the rota on their phones and mark when they can work, so the manager can see at a glance who might cover a gap before calling an agency. Pro adds a logbook for training dates and appraisals, and document storage. Text notifications and clocking in are add-ons.
A worked example
A 14-bed residential home in Kent has 19 people on the rota, including the manager. The manager builds a four-week template in RotaCloud, staff set their availability, and swaps are approved in the app.
Before
4 hours a week on the rota and phone calls, and about 2 avoidable agency shifts a month
After
2 hours a week on the rota, with gaps offered to available staff first
What it's worth
About $612£460€547A$883C$865 a month: $383£288€343A$553C$541 from 2 fewer agency shifts and $229£172€205A$330C$323 of manager time (2 hours a week, times 4.3, at $27£20€24A$38C$38 an hour). The agency figure assumes a $16£12€14A$23C$23 an hour premium on 12-hour shifts. Standard for 11 to 20 employees is $53£40€48A$77C$75 a month and Pro is $80£60€71A$115C$113 according to RotaCloud's team-size selector; check your band on its pricing page.
How to set it up
- Start the 30-day free trial, which needs no payment details, and add every member of staff, including the manager.
- Build your usual pattern of day, twilight and night shifts as a template.
- Ask staff to set their availability, and turn on swaps that you approve.
- When a gap appears, check who is available in RotaCloud before calling an agency.
- If you want training dates in the same place, compare Pro's logbook with how you track training now.
What goes wrong
- RotaCloud doesn't know your skill mix. Check that every shift still has someone trained to give medication and a senior in charge before approving a swap.
- Pricing is by employee band, including you and managers. Going past 20 people moves you to the next band.
- The page doesn't say it checks rest breaks or Working Time Regulations limits, so watch hours for staff picking up extra shifts.
- Text notifications are a paid add-on. Night staff who don't use the app may miss changes without them.