Settings › Availability controls when patients can raise requests and why. Availability is configured per Task Type and location using one of three availability modes, or turned off.
A guided tour for configuring operating hours and monitoring coverage is available directly in Care Team.
The page has three tabs: Operating Hours, History, and Shared devices. Shared devices are ward or unit phones that receive alerts and count as coverage. See Manage Shared Devices for Ward and Unit Phones.
Operating Hours views
By Task Type view
Select a Task Type from the left panel to see every location it is configured for, along with its current status (Unavailable or Live), availability mode, and operating hours. Select one or more locations and click Edit selected to update their configuration.
The By task type view, with the task type list beside its locations and their availability modes
By Location view
The By Location view displays a full facility grid with Task Types as columns and locations as rows. A dash indicates that combination is not configured. Filled cells display status, mode, and operating hours.
The By location view, a facility grid with task types as columns and the Missing staff coverage count
The Missing staff coverage filter lists every Staffing & Scheduled Task Type and location that is inside its operating hours with no staff member or shared device covering it. Patients cannot raise those requests until someone covers the location. For patient feedback, patients can still submit, but Care Team alerts are paused. The count beside the filter label, and an alert at the top of the page, display how many gaps exist.
A Scheduled Task Type with nobody subscribed stays live and is not counted. The History tab marks those hours as Coverage gap.
Edit a Task Type’s availability
Go to Settings › Availability › Operating Hours.
Select the Task Type from the left panel.
Check the checkbox next to one or more locations.
Click Edit selected.
Review who is currently covering the location. The dialog lists the staff and shared devices on, with a View team link.
Select an availability mode (detailed in the table below) and configure hours as needed.
To apply the same setting to additional locations in the same Task Type, select them under Apply to.
Click Save.
The edit dialog, with the staff currently on, the availability modes and the Apply to list
| Patient Availability | Use Case |
Staffing | At least one subscribed staff member or shared device covers the location | Live requests: pain, water, assistance |
Staffing & Scheduled | Someone is covering AND the current time is within set hours | Staffed requests during specific windows only |
Scheduled | Within set hours, regardless of staffing | Automated requests: sign-ups, feedback, information |
Off | Never | Disabling a request type at a specific location entirely |
Vital staff accounts do not count toward staffing at a facility.
Note: feedback is always available. Patient feedback Task Types, such as complaints and recognition, are not gated by staffing or scheduling like other Task Types: patients can always submit feedback. The availability modes above only control whether the Care Team at that location is alerted to a submission.
History
The History tab displays a 24-hour availability timeline per Task Type across all locations. Use it to confirm when a Task Type was live and to identify recurring coverage gaps.
Aggregated combines all locations into a single timeline row per Task Type. Use this for a quick read on overall coverage.
By location breaks the timeline out per location. Use this to pinpoint which specific location has a gap.
The Aggregated history view, one timeline row per task type
The By location history view, one timeline row per location
The history key: Live, Dark, Coverage gap and Unknown
Key | Meaning |
Live (green) | Patients could raise requests |
Dark (gray) | Patients could not raise requests: availability turned off, outside the scheduled hours, or no subscribed staff or shared device covered a Staffing or Staffing & Scheduled location |
Coverage gap (amber) | Scheduled live, but no subscribed staff or shared device. Patients could raise requests, but nobody was alerted |
Unknown (pale, dashed outline) | No snapshot data for this hour |
Using the History tab: Amber segments that repeat at the same time each day indicate a staffing pattern that needs adjustment. Add coverage during those windows or narrow the operating hours to match actual staffing.
FAQs
Patients cannot submit a request for a Task Type that appears configured.
Check in this order:
Settings › Availability › Operating Hours to confirm the Task Type is set to Live (not Unavailable) at that location.
Staffing or Staffing & Scheduled mode: confirm at least one staff member or shared device currently has notifications on for that location. The Missing staff coverage filter lists Staffing & Scheduled gaps.
Staffing & Scheduled or Scheduled mode: confirm the current time falls within the configured operating hours.
History tab to review the timeline for dark segments at the relevant time.
Patients can submit a request but nobody is alerted.
The Task Type is likely in Scheduled mode with no subscribed staff or shared device. The Operating Hours grid does not flag this state. Check the History tab for amber Coverage gap segments, then add coverage in Settings › Notifications or add a shared device.
Who to contact if the issue persists.
Contact Vital support if a Task Type appears configured but patients report it as unavailable, or if new Task Types, locations, or operating-hour model changes are needed.