Iain Corrigan, commercial director at care home management software company CoolCare, explains how care homes can thrive during Christmas with smart planning and digital tools

As the festive season approaches, care home managers face one of their toughest challenges of the year – building a rota that maintains care quality while balancing holiday leave, seasonal absences and rising demand.

December and early January often see a dramatic rise in sickness and leave requests. In fact, absence rates have spiked by more than 350% year-on-year, putting consistent staffing under intense pressure.

This seasonal strain isn’t just a staffing issue – it affects compliance, budgets and crucially, staff and resident wellbeing. From burnout to increased agency use, without careful planning, the ripple effects can be felt across the whole home.

With the right combination of foresight, digital support and strong communication, care providers can move from firefighting to forecasting and turn a traditionally stressful time into a more stable and even uplifting one. Here’s how.

Plan early and plan smart

Too often, festive rotas start coming together in November, when many potential problems have already taken root. Leading operators start planning as early as September. By doing so, they can assess risk periods, reach out to bank staff in advance and begin allocating shifts around planned leave and known demand.

Using digital rostering tools, managers can see real-time staff availability, holiday requests and contract details – all in one place. This prevents gaps from becoming crises and allows homes to plan with data rather than best guesses.

Strike the right balance with holiday leave

December is the most popular month for annual leave. While fairness is key, ensuring safe staffing comes first. Many homes use rotating priority models or cap leave on peak days like Christmas Eve or Boxing Day to keep rotas stable.

Digital workforce management systems streamline this process by flagging clashes, showing leave balances and making the whole approval workflow transparent. That means fewer misunderstandings, fewer disappointed staff and rotas that support rather than strain operations.

Adapt fast with live rota tools

Even with a perfect rota on paper, unexpected issues will arise like illness, travel disruption or family emergencies. Homes using real-time rota software can respond quickly, updating shifts instantly and notifying staff via app alerts.

Rather than relying on spreadsheets or endless calls, managers can use drag-and-drop functionality to reassign shifts and send updates immediately. Staff are kept in the loop and homes stay agile without sacrificing care quality.

Engage your team to fill the gaps

Staff want to help especially when they feel empowered to. Last October, CoolCare data revealed a seasonal spike in proactive shift requests from staff during the winter months. However, this year that trend has strengthened. In September this year, CoolCare saw an average of 269 shift requests sent per home, saving up to 18 hours per month on chasing cover.

Digital systems allow care teams to flag interest in extra shifts, building a responsive internal staffing pool. Managers can then offer shifts to those most likely to accept based on past engagement, reducing the need for expensive and less familiar agency staff.

Unlock the value of your bank team

Bank staff often remain an underused resource, until it’s too late. With a proactive approach, they can become a key pillar of festive staffing.

Modern admin platforms help track bank staff availability and experience, ensuring they’re ready to step in when needed. CoolCare customers using this functionality have seen a 31% reduction in agency use year-on-year – keeping staffing consistent and costs under control.

Prioritise strong communication

Without good communication, even the best rota will fall apart. During a busy festive period, clarity is vital, but time is short.

Integrated admin tools allow managers to send instant shift updates, reminders or leave approvals straight to staff smartphones. This removes the need for phone chains or noticeboards and ensures everyone’s working from the same information. It builds trust, reduces stress and helps staff plan their personal lives with confidence.

Learn from the data

Once the season is over, the real work begins – reviewing what went well and where there’s room to improve.

Digital systems store valuable data around absence trends, peak demand dates, shift fill rates and more. For example, if sickness spiked in the last two weeks of December, you can plan extra support for that period next year. With each seasonal cycle, your rota strategy becomes stronger.

Don’t forget wellbeing

It’s easy to focus on staffing logistics but Christmas can be emotionally and physically draining for care teams. Showing appreciation and creating fair shift allocations matters.

Digital tools help distribute high-demand shifts evenly and track who’s worked key dates in previous years. They also offer easy ways to send thank-you messages or celebrate staff contributions. These small gestures build morale and reinforce a culture of recognition.

Make space for what matters

A well-planned rota is more than a compliance or cost-saving tool, it’s the foundation that allows homes to create a joyful festive atmosphere. When teams aren’t bogged down by admin or last-minute cover calls, they can focus on what the season is really about – caring, connecting and celebrating with residents.

Whether it’s supporting a carol concert, serving Christmas lunch or simply sharing a moment of conversation, digital workforce tools give time back where it matters most.

Care homes don’t need to dread the Christmas rota. With a digital-first mindset, smart planning and open communication, homes can stay staffed, compliant and festive – all at the same time. And by learning from each year’s challenges, they’ll be even better prepared next time.