A running log where each shift records what the next one needs to know.
Information gets lost at shift change: a customer waiting for a callback, a machine making a noise, a delivery due. A log keeps it in one place.
Unlike an end-of-shift report, a handover log is a continuous book or file that shows history across shifts.
8 items. Keep it on a tablet, or print a copy for the clipboard.
At 10 pm, the evening lead at a care home logs that a resident refused dinner, the medication cart lock is sticking and one carer is off tomorrow morning. The night lead reads it, checks on the resident and reports the lock to maintenance.
Handovers are a point where information gets lost, and in care settings a missed detail can affect a resident’s safety. A signed log shows what was passed on and when, which also helps if an incident is reviewed later.
| Site | Pinecrest Assisted Living, Billings MT |
|---|---|
| Shift | Evening to night, Wed Jan 21, 10 pm |
| Leads | Out: Teresa; In: Omar |
| Staffing | Carer Liz off sick tomorrow 6 am; agency cover booked |
| Residents | Mr. H. refused dinner, fluids taken; recheck at 2 am |
| Equipment | Room 14 bed alarm intermittent; maintenance ticket 3381 |
| Sign-off | Omar read and signed 10:08 pm |
The resident note includes a specific recheck time, so the night lead knows exactly what is expected. The bed alarm fault gives a ticket number so nobody logs it twice.
The log is continuous; the report covers one shift.
Either.
Outgoing and incoming leads.
Per your record policy.
Each entry should cover staffing and absences, open tasks with deadlines, customer or patient issues, equipment faults and safety concerns, plus the names of the outgoing and incoming leads. Write facts and specific actions, such as ‘room 12 call bell intermittent, maintenance called 9:40 pm’. The incoming lead signs to show it was read.
Use the same order every time, so the incoming lead knows where to look, and write the log throughout the shift instead of at the end. Do a short face-to-face check on the top two or three items. Leave routine items out unless they changed.
More for the same job
Once the shift handover log is in place, the next question is usually about shifts and hours. Book a demo to see how EZTime handles scheduling and time tracking.