Our emergency departments are currently extremely busy, and you may face a long wait to be seen. More information is available on alternative services.
We have robust systems in place to ensure that our wards are staffed safely, for people who use our services to receive high quality care and treatment, and the staffing levels are reviewed a number of times within a 24 hours period.
Our nursing staff levels have been agreed by the trust board and will be reviewed every six months. However these planned levels may change before the review if complexity and need requires.
Listed below are our monthly reports, about nursing staff levels on inpatient wards, including the percentage of shifts meeting their agreed staffing levels. This has become a national requirement and is part of the NHS response to the Francis Report on the Mid Staffs enquiry that called for greater openness and transparency in the health service.
There is currently no single tool that identifies how many nurses there should be on any particular shift. This is because there are different requirements in different areas depending on clinical need and speciality.
With consultation with the senior nurse on duty, the staff on the wards will, at times, take the decision to work below their planned numbers. This would be when the level of need on the ward can be safely managed with fewer staff. This might be due to there being vacant beds on the ward or due to the other activities on the ward not occurring.
For more information about staffing levels in our hospitals please contact our Director of Nursing via our contact us page
For more information about staffing levels:
