Safer staffing

All NHS trusts are required to publish information about the number of nurses and support workers on duty per shift. The initiative is part of the response to the Francis Report and follows the publication of guidance by the National Quality Board.

We are committed to providing useful and timely information to our patients and visitors. By publishing monthly information about our staffing levels we will be able to clearly identify challenges to staffing and make improvements.

We are also displaying information for patients and visitors in all of our wards that shows the planned and actual staffing available at the start of every shift.

We are working to address the reasons why, at times, actual staffing levels do not meet the planned requirement. We are carrying out a major recruitment exercise for registered nurses and reviewing issues including staff sickness, vacancies and unavailability of bank or agency staff.

Staffing levels are published monthly here on our website and our Board of Directors receive an annual report including information about those wards where actual staffing numbers do not meet planned levels. Board reports include a list of actions to be taken and monitored.

For further information about our staffing levels, please contact our Chief Nurse Vanessa Smith