Guidance
This guideline covers organisational and managerial approaches to safe nurse staffing of inpatient wards for people aged 18 and over in acute hospitals. It aims to ensure that patients receive the nursing care they need, regardless of the ward to which they are allocated, the time of the day, or the day of the week.
The guideline focuses on wards that provide overnight care for adult patients in acute hospitals. It does not cover intensive care, high dependency, maternity, mental health, acute admission or assessment units or wards, or inpatient wards in community hospitals.
Recommendations
This guideline includes recommendations on:
- organisational strategy
- principles for determining nursing staff requirements
- setting the number of registered nurses and healthcare assistants for particular wards
- assessing if nursing staff available on the day meet patients' nursing needs
- monitoring and evaluating ward staff numbers
Who is it for?
- Hospital boards and senior management
- Commissioners
- Ward managers
- Registered nurses
- Nursing managers and matrons
- Healthcare assistants
- Adults in inpatient wards at acute hospitals and their families and carers