Monthly rotas now build themselves from availability forms, certifications, and labor-law rules, then push straight to each nurse's calendar. Shift swaps run through a structured WhatsApp approval flow, and the coordinator reviews a finished draft instead of wrestling a spreadsheet for two days.
Typical results
0
Uncovered shifts
~2 hrs
Swap resolution
60
Nurses scheduled
Figures reflect typical results for this kind of automation.
The challenge
Building the monthly rota for 60 nurses meant two days of spreadsheet gymnastics — matching availability, certifications, patient needs, and rest-hour rules by hand. The moment it published, the WhatsApp group exploded with swap requests that took days to untangle, and every uncovered shift meant frantic evening phone calls from the coordinator.
Before and after
Rota build time
−98%Shift-swap resolution time
−96%Uncovered shifts per month
−100%The automation
We connected monthly availability forms, the certifications register, and the agency's labor rules into a Make scenario that generates a draft rota — matching each shift to a qualified, available nurse while respecting rest hours and maximum weekly loads. Approved rotas push automatically to every nurse's calendar. Swap requests go through a WhatsApp flow: the nurse taps the shift, the system offers it only to qualified colleagues, and the coordinator approves the match in one tap.
How it works
- 01
Availability collected
Nurses fill a monthly availability form; certifications and labor rules sync from the register.
- 02
Rota generated
Make builds a draft rota matching qualified, available nurses to every shift in minutes.
- 03
Coordinator approves
The coordinator reviews the draft, adjusts edge cases, and publishes with one click.
- 04
Calendars updated
Each nurse's shifts land in her personal calendar automatically, with changes synced live.
- 05
Swaps by WhatsApp
A swap request offers the shift only to qualified colleagues and closes with one-tap approval.
Starts from
- Availability forms
- Certifications & labor rules
Delivers
- Personal calendars
- WhatsApp swap flow
- Coverage gap alerts
The impact
The rota that consumed two days now builds in 20 minutes, and the coordinator spends the saved time on care quality instead of cells. Swap requests resolve in about two hours through the approval flow, uncovered shifts dropped to zero, and the group-chat chaos has gone quiet.
Questions about this automation
How does the rota respect labor rules and certifications?
Each shift carries its requirements, such as a certification or a patient need, and each nurse's record holds their qualifications and monthly availability. The rota engine in Make assigns shifts only where both match, and it checks rest hours between shifts and maximum weekly hours before placing anyone.
Does the coordinator still approve the rota?
Yes. The automation produces a draft, and the coordinator reviews it, adjusts edge cases and publishes it with one click. Shifts the engine couldn't fill are listed at the top of the draft as coverage gaps, so they get handled before the rota goes out instead of the evening before a shift.
How do shift swaps work on WhatsApp?
A nurse taps the shift they want to give up, and the automation offers it only to colleagues who are qualified, available and within their hour limits. The first colleague to accept is matched, the coordinator approves in one tap, and both personal calendars update automatically.