Safe staffing data

One of the recommendations of the National Quality Board report published in November 2013, in response to the Francis report, was that all hospitals should publish information about the number of registered and non-registered nursing staff and midwives working on each ward, as well as the percentage of shifts meeting ‘safe staffing’ guidelines.

The definition of safe staffing varies from ward to ward, depending on the number of patients and the kind of nursing that those patients need. Intensive care, for example, has a higher staff to patient ratio than an orthopaedic ward. Determining ‘safe staffing’ requires Trusts to regularly review their number and skill mix of staff. We do this using tools that are available nationally, and study this analysis alongside local professional opinion, as well as the information we already have on the safety and quality of each service, and people’s reported experience.

We publish information about our staffing levels on this page every month. Full details will also be reported to public meetings of our Board of Directors and can be viewed in the board minutes.

All our wards now display staffing information that shows the planned and actual staff present on each shift every day. For more information about staffing levels in our hospitals, please speak to the Ward Manager or Sister/Charge Nurse in the ward you visit. We welcome feedback from patients and the public on their experience and encourage you to talk with our staff and to complete a Friends and Family Test survey at the end of your stay in hospital.