More than eight patients per

nurse 'increases risk'

SATURDAY 10 MAY 2014
An NHS watchdog recommends a ratio of no more than eight patients for eer!
hospita" n#rse$ %#t the target wi"" not &e mandator!$
The National Institute for Health and
Care Excellence (Nice) has drafted new
guidelines on staffing levels for adult
inpatient wards in acute hospitals in
England after the Francis Inquiry into
failings at id !taffordshire NH! Trust"
The watchdog said there is #ore ris$ of
har# with a lower ratio of nurses to
patients% &ut stopped short of saying one
to eight was an a&solute #ini#u#%
saying hospitals need flexi&ility over
day'to'day staffing"
( Nice spo$es#an said) *The draft guideline recognises that if each
registered nurse is caring for #ore than eight patients during the dayti#e
on a regular &asis% there is an increased ris$ of har#"
*It stresses the i#portance of chec$ing if patient needs are adequately
&eing #et in these situations"
*The lead nurse should consider any +red flag events+ as indicators of the
ward &eco#ing in danger of &eing under'staffed and therefore tailor the
nu#&er of availa&le nursing staff as needed"*
,ed flag situations include patients not &eing provided with help to go to
the &athroo#% not &eing as$ed a&out their pain levels or delays in providing
#edicines"
-rofessor .illian /eng% deputy chief executive and director of health and
social care at Nice% said) *There is no floor or ceiling nu#&er on the required
nu#&er of nursing staff that can &e applied across the whole of the NH!"
*0hat the safe staffing advisory co##ittee concluded was that assessing
patient needs was para#ount when #a$ing decisions a&out the nu#&er of
nursing staff and planning should allow for flexi&ility on a day'to'day or
shift'&y'shift &asis"
*This guideline is an i#portant step forward in addressing the issues of
having adequate nu#&ers of nursing staff within the NH!"*
-eter 0alsh% chief executive of patient safety charity (ction against edical
(ccidents% said) *ore than eight patients per nurse on acute wards is
definitely unsafe ' so why shouldn+t it &e #andatory not to exceed that
ratio1
*The Care 2uality Co##ission should now use this guidance and include
clear require#ents on staffing in its standards and enforce the#"*
3r -eter Carter% chief executive of the ,oyal College of Nursing (,CN)% said)
*0e are encouraged that these guidelines have &een created ' following
considera&le and consistent evidence fro# the ,CN of the danger to
patients where there are too few staff"
*They underline what we already $now ' that a registered nurse caring for
#ore than eight patients under these circu#stances is a cause for concern '
in #any cases% considera&ly #ore nurses will &e needed"
*Hospitals si#ply can+t deliver what today+s patients need if they are
staffed for care fro# another century" Too often% staffing levels are allowed
to yo'yo &ecause of finances% and this puts staff under strain and patients
at ris$"
*For any patient to receive su&standard care is unaccepta&le" Nurses will &e
hoping that once the full set of guidelines is co#pleted% the NH! will never
again &e so vulnera&le to short ter# financially driven decisions a&out
patient care"*
( 3epart#ent of Health spo$eswo#an said) *There are over 4%566 #ore
nurses on our wards since 7656 and in response to the Francis Inquiry we
have &een tough on insisting on co#passionate care in our hospitals"
*0e have increased the NH! &udget in real ter#s and are clear that
hospitals #ust &alance their &oo$s whilst ensuring co#passionate% quality
care for all" 0e $now this can and is &eing done ' safe staffing levels lead to
&etter care and can save the NH! #oney"*