safe staffing levels

Silverdragon102, BSN · Oct 21, 2007

Don't think there is anything official. I have worked in a few hospitals and ratio ranged from 1:14 patients to 1:7 and that was either medical or medical admissions

english_nurse · Oct 21, 2007

i dont think safe is the right word you are looking for, the question should be

'what staffing levels can the nhs get away with?'

celticqueen · Oct 21, 2007

i dont think safe is the right word you are looking for, the question should be
'what staffing levels can the nhs get away with?'

Yes i think you're spot on there! :lol2:

RGN1 · Oct 22, 2007

Aside from totally agreeing with EN's post above I was going to say; no there isn't but there should be!!

oreo75 · Oct 23, 2007

I completely agree but not only staffing levels they should look at skill mix. Where I am they say we are fully staff but our skill mix is awful, so in essence we've had 4 band 5 nurses on the ward as the other band 5's are all newly qualified so need loads of support. So many shifts have gone uncovered, so days we've had 1 band 5 & a newly qualified. At the moment the managers are saying we are not doing a good enough job as we've had complaints, but with staffing levels like we've got is it any wonder! It's a shame they don't just look at who was looking after the patient but the bigger picture of how many were on duty at the time. I sometimes wonder if they would sooner I complete patient paperwork than get a patient a commode etc..

I just want to add I work on a surgical ward with 24 beds where most of the patients need 2 people to see to them, it's a very heavy ward with some sick patients.