Quality Education for a healthier Scotland

Nursing and Midwifery Workload and Workforce Planning

Nursing & Midwifery Workload and Workforce Planning

Interpreting and Applying Workload Data

Quality Education for a healthier Scotland

Nursing and Midwifery Workload and Workforce Planning

Meaningful Data

• In order for workload measurement to be meaningful we need to:– understand and assess the tools used;

– manage the data to guide effective decision-making;

– integrate financial data; and

– understand the nurses role in collecting information.

Quality Education for a healthier Scotland

Nursing and Midwifery Workload and Workforce Planning

Challenges

• inconsistency in the data being reported

• financial resource issues

• human resource issues, e.g. lack of time to collect and document information

• capability issues

• IT issues

Quality Education for a healthier Scotland

Nursing and Midwifery Workload and Workforce Planning

Opportunities

• workload measurement needs to be implemented to give a voice to the practice of nursing

• a vehicle to communicate what nursing care is about, particularly to groups with decision-making power

• an opportunity to shape discussion about the nature and outcomes of nursing work

• an opportunity to influence and effect change

• SCNs, SCNs and TLs need to provide leadership in this area

Quality Education for a healthier Scotland

Nursing and Midwifery Workload and Workforce Planning

Core Components of Workload Measurement

• Activity - the work done, i.e. the throughput of the system

• Capacity - all of the resources required to do the work, including staff and equipment

• Demand - all demands for nursing care

• Capability - the skills and competencies required to carry out the activity

Quality Education for a healthier Scotland

Nursing and Midwifery Workload and Workforce Planning

Establishment Setting

• having adequate staff to match workload has the potential for a positive effect both on the working lives of the staff, their performance and the quality of the patient care experience

• lack of time to match the demands of clinical activity contributes to increased workplace stress and diminished job satisfaction

• no set formula for ward nurse staffing levels (workload tools now available for most wards)

• direct link between low nurse-high patient ratios with adverse patient outcomes

• focus not simply on the numbers of staff required but the leadership, management, ward climate and skill mix of staff needed to match the clinical workload