Dilemmas of e-rostering old and new: towards intelligent systems?

By 2021, the NHS wants all clinical staff to be rostered electronically. If staff are to be empowered, they need more control over their roster but this is impossible if the algorithms governing the roster are hidden behind a veil of complexity. Ironically, the solution may be to make e-rostering systems even smarter by using machine learning and predictive analytics. Following on from an article published in 2014, this article takes stock of the progress made in, and the new challenges posed by, the adoption of e-rostering