02.04.14
Trusts must publish ‘Hard Truths’ staffing data on wards
All NHS trusts with inpatient areas must now display staffing information about nurses, midwives and care staff deployed for each shift, compared to what has been planned, if they do not already.
Trusts have been given until the end of June to comply with the new ‘Hard Truths’ commitments, under guidance issued by NHS England and Care Quality Commission.
In a letter to CEOs of trusts and FTs with inpatient areas, Jane Cummings, chief nursing officer for England, and Professor Sir Mike Richards, chief inspector of hospitals at the Care Quality Commission (CQC), stated that research demonstrates that staffing levels are linked to the safety of care and that staff shortfalls increase the risks of patient harm and poor quality care.
“Patients and the public have a right to know how the hospitals they are paying for are being run, and so the government has made a number of commitments in Hard Truths: The Journey to Putting Patients First to make this information more publically available,” they added.
Trusts will have to produce a board report describing their staffing capacity and capability, following an establishment review. This will be presented to the board every six months.
Trusts have been advised that for those wards where staffing levels fall short of what is required to provide quality care, they must review the reasons for the gap, assess the impact and ensure actions are being taken to address the gap. This report must be presented to the board every month.
Following this, by June 2014, the monthly report must also be published on the trust’s own website, and trusts will be expected to link or upload the report to the relevant hospital(s) webpage on NHS Choices.
Cummings and Prof Richards added: “Boards must, at any point in time, be able to demonstrate to their commissioners that robust systems and processes are in place to assure themselves that the nursing, midwifery and care staffing capacity and capability in their organisation is sufficient to provide safe care.
“Monitor has worked with us in the development of this guidance and expects Foundation Trusts to have the right staff, in the right place at the right time. The CQC will be looking for compliance with all the actions outlined as part of their inspection regime. Monitor will act where the CQC identifies any deficiencies in staffing levels in Foundation Trusts.”
The full guidance on displaying staffing information is as follows: “The trust clearly displays information about the nurses, midwives and care staff present and planned in each clinical setting on each shift. This should be visible, clear and accurate, and it should include the full range of patient care support staff (HCA and band 4 staff) available in the area during each shift. It may be helpful to outline additional information that is held locally, such as the significance of different uniforms and titles used.”
It says the displays should:
• Be in an area within the clinical area that is accessible to patients, their families and carers
• Explain the planned and actual numbers of staff for each shift (registered and non-registered)
• Detail who is in charge of the shift
• Describe what each member of the team’s role is
• Be accurate
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