Local decision making on safe nurse staffing signals much needed change
06 July 2016
- NHS Improvement has today published an updated safe staffing improvement resource
- The resource has been produced by the National Quality Board, which comprises the Care Quality Commission, NHS England, NHS Improvement, NICE, Health Education England, Public Health England and the Department of Health
- The guidance is underpinned by three principles: right care, minimising avoidable harm, and maximising the value of available resources
This safe staffing improvement resource sets out the key principles and tools that provider boards should use to measure and improve their use of staffing resources to ensure safe, sustainable and productive services; identifies three updated National Quality Board expectations that form a 'triangulated' approach to staffing decisions; and offers guidance for local providers on using other measures of quality to understand how staff capacity may affect the quality of care.
Commenting on the guidance, Saffron Cordery, director of policy and strategy at NHS Providers, said:
“We support NHS Improvement's approach to safe staff levels. It recognises the pressing need to update thinking to balance quality with an extremely challenging financial climate. The view of foundation trusts and trusts was that the previous, effectively nationally mandated approach was unsustainable, both in terms of costs and an undue reliance on agency staff.
This new resource will only work if the key regulatory bodies, including the Care Quality Commission, fully take on board the key elements of this new approach in their inspection regime
“We particularly welcome the emphasis on local decision making and local discretion. We have always said that accountability for quality and quality improvement sits with trust boards, underpinned by appropriate assurance and governance. However this new resource will only work if the key regulatory bodies, including the Care Quality Commission, fully take on board the key elements of this new approach in their inspection regime.
“The resource has been reviewed by Sir Robert Francis QC. We will work with both NHS Improvement and the CQC to help providers interpret the guidance and engage staff to ensure that patient safety and compassionate care is maintained.”