How ANW Simplified Healthcare Workforce Planning for More Than 500 Doctors
Managing this operation is no small task. More than 500 doctors work across approximately 75 planning pools, with complex shift structures, multiple healthcare organisations, and varying availability requirements.
To support future growth and improve operational efficiency, ANW partnered with CAPE to develop a modern planning platform tailored to the unique needs of after-hours healthcare.
The challenge: no standard software could support the process
Creating monthly rosters for hundreds of doctors across dozens of planning groups is inherently complex. Availability varies between doctors, shift types differ by organisation, and many schedules extend across midnight, creating additional challenges for traditional workforce planning software.
At the same time, simplicity was critical. Many doctors only interact with planning software occasionally and therefore need an intuitive user experience that requires minimal training.
As ANW evaluated options, it became clear that no off-the-shelf solution could fully support its unique planning model.
Rather than immediately selecting a technology platform, ANW and CAPE began with a discovery phase to identify the most sustainable long-term approach.
About this project
Doctors managed: 500+
Planning pools: 75+
Shift types: Evening, night, weekend, and on-call services
Technology: Mendix low-code platform
Users: Doctors, planners, healthcare organisations, and care centre employees
Capabilities: Workforce planning, availability management, healthcare registrations, reporting, and invoicing
“Other software providers tell us how we should work instead of starting from how we want to work.”
Inge de Haan, Manager Elderly Care, ANW
Finding the right approach
During discovery, different options were explored, ranging from standard software packages to low-code and fully custom-built solutions.
The outcome was clear. ANW’s planning processes were highly specialised and central to its operations. While standard solutions offered some capabilities, none could meet all requirements without compromising flexibility or usability.
Following the principle of “standard where possible, custom where necessary”, the teams decided to develop a tailored solution built on Mendix.
This approach provided the flexibility required for complex planning scenarios while maintaining the speed and scalability of a modern low-code platform.
The solution: one platform for planning, registrations and billing
Together, ANW and CAPE developed a central platform that manages the complete process surrounding evening, night, and weekend services.
The solution combines workforce planning, availability management, healthcare registrations, reporting, accountability information, and invoicing within a single environment.
Unlike traditional healthcare planning systems, the platform supports complex shift structures that cross date boundaries while maintaining a simple and intuitive user experience.
Doctors, planners, healthcare organisations, and care centre employees all work within the same platform while only seeing information relevant to their role.
Designing for user adoption
User experience played a critical role throughout the project.
Before development started, CAPE created an extensive interactive prototype that demonstrated exactly how the future platform would work for each user group.
The prototype enabled stakeholders to experience the future solution before development began, ensuring feedback could be incorporated early in the process.
The visual design, intuitive workflows, and clear role-based interfaces gave ANW confidence that the platform would be widely adopted across the organisation.
Delivering operational improvements
The new platform transformed how ANW manages its workforce and supporting processes.
Simplified workforce planning
Doctors can submit availability across one or multiple planning pools, while planners gain immediate insight into capacity and scheduling preferences.
When shifts become available, relevant doctors automatically receive notifications, reducing manual coordination and accelerating schedule completion.
Better user experiences for every role
Doctors, planners, healthcare organisations, and care centre employees all work within the same system but see different information and workflows tailored to their responsibilities.
This approach improves usability while maintaining security and data privacy.
Safer healthcare administration
Healthcare registrations are automatically shared with both healthcare organisations and incoming doctors, ensuring continuity of care.
The registration process has been designed to minimise free-text data entry and reduce compliance risks while enabling faster administration.
Reliable reporting and accountability
ANW can now generate detailed accountability and reporting information directly from the platform.
As a result, many manual spreadsheets and reporting processes have been eliminated, improving accuracy and reducing administrative effort.
One source of truth
Availability, planning, registrations, reporting, and billing are now connected within a single platform.
By removing disconnected systems and manual workarounds, ANW has established a consistent and reliable foundation for operations.
Building a future-ready healthcare ecosystem
The project also created a strategic foundation for future development.
Together, CAPE and ANW designed a modern architecture that clearly separates employee data, organisational information, planning processes, and operational reporting.
This best-of-breed approach allows specialist systems to remain focused on what they do best while ensuring data flows seamlessly between them.
Future integrations are already planned, creating additional opportunities for automation, reporting, and service improvement.
Enabling better healthcare delivery
For ANW, the project was never simply about workforce planning software.
It was about enabling healthcare professionals to focus on patient care instead of administrative complexity.
By simplifying planning, improving collaboration, and creating a scalable digital foundation, ANW is better positioned to support healthcare organisations, doctors, and patients for years to come.
Looking to modernise healthcare workforce planning?
Whether you’re managing complex rostering requirements, coordinating multiple healthcare organisations, or looking to replace disconnected systems, CAPE helps healthcare providers create scalable digital solutions that improve efficiency and support better patient care.
Ready to explore what’s possible? Get in touch with our team to discuss your challenges.
