About safe staffing
NHS England and the Care Quality Commission issued joint guidance to Trusts on the delivery of the ‘Hard Truths’ commitments associated with publishing staffing data regarding nursing, midwifery and care staff levels.
The guidance does not mandate a one size fits all approach. It recognises that there is no single ratio or formula that should be used to calculate staffing levels. Organisations and clinical specialisms differ. In addition, culture, leadership, and training are essential if people are to make the right decisions and create a supportive environment where staff are able to provide compassionate care.
It is worth noting that being a specialist provider for children and young people makes Alder Hey unique in terms of its staffing guidance. As an example, guidance while not mandating specific staffing levels does recommend the use of evidence-based tools. Most available tools are developed for use in adult-based care, including the NICE model.
For children, there are only two recognised models, developed by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) and the Paediatric Intensive Care Society (PICS). In addition, Alder Hey provides services such as Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO), as one of only a few centres nationally – such specialist services carry their own staffing protocols.
Safe staffing reports
When staffing reports are available for the public to view, they can be found in our publications section.