Safe and effective staffing in health and social care: analysis of responses
An analysis of responses received to the discussion document on safe and effective staffing in health and social care.
Section 3 – Requirements applicable to Health Boards
The discussion document set out the intention for the legislation to include more specific requirements where a validated workload planning tool and methodology exists – in the first instance this will only be applicable to nursing and midwifery services and to medical services in emergency medicine settings.
For settings where a validated workload and workforce planning tool exists, Health
Boards and, as appropriate, Integration Authorities, will have to evidence that they have followed a common methodology prior to making decisions about staffing requirements, including:
- Application of specialty specific and professional judgement tools
- Consideration of nationally agreed quality measures
- Consideration of local context
- Consideration of staff and service user views
- Consideration of the need to redesign services
Question 3a: What is your view on the proposed requirements for Health Boards?
| Agree % | Neither agree or disagree % | Disagree % | No. of Responses | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Individuals | 83 | 15 | 3 | 40 |
| Organisations | 67 | 29 | 4 | 24 |
Question 3b: Are there any other requirements you think should be included?
A total of 39 responses were received to this question, the most common themes identified were:
| Theme | No. of responses | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Inclusion of staff groups out with Nurses and Midwives (Multi-Disciplinary Teams) | 12 | 31% |
| The need to actively identify and manage risk | 5 | 13% |
| Tools and services should be flexible and adaptable to respond to unplanned demand | 5 | 13% |
Other themes that emerged from responses included the importance of ensuring clear accountability and governance (such as the role of the Executive Nurse Director or equivalent), the need for a focus on positive outcomes for service users, and the need to take account of current recruitment and retention challenges.
Question 3c: Please provide any other comments on the proposed requirements set out in section 3.
A total of 33 responses were received to this question, the most common themes identified were:
| Theme | No. of responses | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Staff groups out with Nurses and Midwives should be included | 11 | 33% |
| The importance of clearly defined accountability and governance structures | 8 | 24% |
| The importance of supporting, training and developing staff | 6 | 18% |
Other themes that emerged from responses included awareness of funding and resource challenges, the need for flexibility and adaptability of tools and service models, the need for a focus on positive outcomes, and clear communication and transparency of decisions made about staffing following the application of tools.
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