NHS trusts given staffing guidance

19 May 14
NHS trusts in England have been issued with guidance on how to publish monthly data on ward-level nursing and care staff numbers as part of plans to increase transparency.

By Vivienne Russell | 19 May 2014

NHS trusts in England have been issued with guidance on how to publish monthly data on ward-level nursing and care staff numbers as part of plans to increase transparency.

On June 24, data on staffing fill rates for nurses, midwives and care staff will be presented on the NHS Choice website to allow patients and the public to view easily accessible information on how hospitals are performing on this indicator.

The template requires trusts to enter information on registered nurse and midwife numbers and care staff, such as health care assistants and auxiliary nurses working each day and night shift on each ward.

Trusts also need to say how may staff hours they planned to provide each month and how many actual staff hours were worked.

Trusts are also required to publish actual versus planned staffing rates on a ward-by-ward basis on their own websites.

A letter sent on May 16 to trust chief executives and nursing directors from Chief Nursing Officer Jane Cummings confirmed that data relating to the month of May needs to be entered and uploaded by noon on June 10. Trusts failing to comply with this deadline will have a red flag placed on their NHS Choices webpage, the letter said.

Cummings said: ‘I fully appreciate the amount of work involved in enabling this significant step forward in our strive for openness and transparency and I am grateful for your support in delivering what is a first both in England and much further afield.’

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