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Showing results for tags 'Staff factors'.
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Community Post
What are safe staffing levels?
Claire Cox posted a topic in Stories from the front line
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I can’t find any guidance for safe staffing here in the UK. I would like to know how Trusts decide their staffing template. Who decides, how it’s decided and if that is adhered to.- Posted
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Content ArticleIn July 2018, the then Minister of State for Health, Stephen Barclay MP, commissioned Tom Kark QC to write a report and to make recommendations in relation to the fit and proper person test (FPPT) as it applied under Regulation 5 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. The Tom Kark QC review of the fit and proper person test (the Kark review) was published in February 2019 and made seven recommendations on how to improve the operation and effectiveness of Regulation 5.
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Content ArticleAn independent review of how effectively the test prevents unsuitable staff from being redeployed or re-employed in health and social care settings.
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Content ArticleUsing new technologies in the NHS could bring multiple benefits. They could save healthcare professionals’ time, increase the number of people a skilled professional can support, and enable more sustainable workforce models. At the same time, they can promote safer and more personalised care. The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) have published their latest Collection brings together NIHR research demonstrating how digital technology can improve care while reducing the demands on staff.
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Content ArticleOccupational health can benefit employers, staff, and healthcare and tackle workforce shortages—but only with better access and awareness, write Lara Shemtob and colleagues for this BMJ Opinion piece.
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Content ArticleA number of serious concerns were raised about the University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, relating to patient safety, governance processes and organisational culture. The Trust has been under review by the Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care Board (ICB), following a junior doctor at the trust, Dr Vaishnavi Kumar, taking her own life in June 2022. In response to these concerns, a series of rapid independently-led reviews have been commissioned at the Trust. A follow up report into concerns raised about University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust has now been published showing the progress made against the recommendations made in the clinical safety (phase 1) report. It also collates the evidence from phase 2 and 3 of the review and assesses how the lessons learned can at this point be incorporated into the recovery and development plan that the Trust is already progressing. It also takes account of any other concerns that have arisen or been communicated to the review team.
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Content ArticleAuthors of this article, published by Anaesthesia Patient Safety Foundation, look at various factors that exacerbate alarm fatigue and subsequent effects of nonoptimal medical alarms. They provide examples of a novel alarm versus a traditional alarm and conclude by saying: "By focusing on patient and provider safety, clinical workflow, and alarm technology, researchers, and policy makers can transform the medical alarm realm into one that is evidence-based and personnel-focused."
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Content ArticleAn NHS consultant who was sacked after whistleblowing says it was because he raised concerns that “normal birth” ideology was putting the lives of women and babies at risk. Martyn Pitman, a respected obstetrician and gynaecologist, became a whistleblower to prevent “avoidable disasters” in NHS maternity care, but it cost him his career. Pitman lost his job last month after more than 20 years as a consultant at Royal Hampshire County Hospital in Winchester. His bosses cited an “irretrievable breakdown in his relationship with management”. His dismissal caused outrage from hundreds of former patients and doctors’ leaders, who say it highlights an NHS culture of “punishing those who dare to speak out”.
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Content ArticleThe NHS Staff Survey is an essential tool for assessing the experiences and opinions of NHS workers in Trusts in England. It also provides valuable insights to help understand the speaking up culture in the NHS. In this report the National Guardian’s Office analyse the results of the 2022 NHS Staff Survey, focusing on questions relating to speaking up.
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Content ArticleBurnout is a workplace syndrome characterised by three core attributes: 1) energy depletion or exhaustion, 2) a cynical or negative attitude toward one’s job, and 3) reduced professional efficacy. That second attribute, workplace cynicism, may be the least-understood aspect of burnout in part because of its complexity. In contrast to exhaustion and diminished efficacy, whose causes and effects are relatively straightforward, cynicism can be caused by a number of workplace factors, and it can be expressed in a broad range of emotional states and behaviours. Cynicism is dangerous to both individual and organisational health and can also spread rapidly throughout teams through a phenomenon known as “emotional contagion.” It’s possible to improve even deep-seated cynicism — and better yet, to prevent it from infecting your organization in the first place. The author of this Harvard Business Review article offers strategies to help reverse existing cynicism and to create an anti-cynical culture at work.
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Content ArticleThis toolkit from NHS Employers aims to support the reduction in turnover of international staff in the NHS by improving their experience at work. It is hoped that this will then enable them to stay, thrive and build lasting careers in the NHS. It is for line managers and employers and should be used alongside the International Recruitment Toolkit and the Improving Staff Retention Guide to support your overall approach to recruiting and retaining international and domestic staff. The good practice principles and examples throughout can be applied to all professions.
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Content ArticleAll countries of the WHO European Region currently face severe challenges related to the health and care workforce (HCWF). This report focuses on identifying effective policy and planning responses to these HCWF challenges across the Region. The report presents an overview of the HCWF situation in the Region (focusing on medical doctors, nurses, midwives, dentists, pharmacists and physiotherapists, for whom data are available) and identifies relevant policy options, their expected benefits and potential facilitators or barriers to successful implementation. Examples of sound evidence-informed practices in countries are also provided. The aim of the report is to describe the data, rather than to analyse. Data supplied by countries have been used, but in many cases these have been incomplete. It is expected that data will grow progressively in future. No data on informal health workers are included.
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Content ArticleMany cross-sectional studies and reviews have demonstrated that higher registered nurse staffing levels are associated with better patient outcomes. The aim of this study was to identify and assess the evidence for an association between nurse staffing levels, including the composition of the nursing team, and patient outcomes in acute care settings from longitudinal studies.
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Content ArticleDespite being the employees who often have the most direct contact with service users, NHS clinical support workers, such as healthcare assistants and maternity support workers, have long experienced a range of barriers to their effective deployment and development. These include a lack of standardised entry requirements, inconsistent task deployment and truncated career progression pathways. These have a detrimental impact on service delivery, including patient satisfaction. The degree to which local employers are able to determine the recruitment, deployment and development of support workers is a key reason why these issues endure; however, this article suggests that a deeper reason is the existence of a segmented labour market in the NHS, with support workers existing in a secondary market. This duality resides in the socio-economic differences between registered and non-registered staff. Recent NHS support workforce strategies present an opportunity to finally address the issues support staff face.
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Content ArticleFive professionals explore and discuss safe patient handling. Safe patient handling is essential for encouraging mobility for the patient and maintaining their skin integrity while not forgetting the impact on the healthcare worker. Each health care specialty has differing challenges, and this podcast explores some of these and look to see if an interprofessional care approach can help drive safer care and better outcomes.
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Content ArticleThe implementation and continuous improvement of patient safety learning systems (PSLS) is a principal strategy for mitigating preventable harm to patients. Although substantial efforts have sought to improve these systems, there is a need to more comprehensively understand critical success factors. This study aims to summarise the barriers and facilitators perceived by hospital staff and physicians to influence the reporting, analysis, learning and feedback within PSLS in hospitals.
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News ArticleRegistered nurses at Alhambra Hospital Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, voted overwhelmingly in favor of ratifying a new three-year contract yesterday, winning protections to improve patient safety and nurse retention.. The collective bargaining agreement was the result of an almost six-month fight, which included an informational picket for patient safety and multiple other actions. So Hee Park, an ICU nurse at Alhambra, said, “We are so thrilled that after months of negotiations, we have ratified an agreement that provides substantial measures to ensure nurses feel supported and can continue to provide optimal patient care, as well as numerous provisions that will improve recruitment and retention of experienced nurses.” The contract includes several highlights that will help nurses create better outcomes for their patients, such as provisions for ensuring hospital compliance with existing registered nurse-to-patient safe staffing laws. The agreement also establishes a new Infectious Disease Task Force that will offer new protections against communicable diseases and guarantee levels of PPE supplies. The contract also expands workplace violence prevention plans for all hospital units, as well as stating that quality care be provided to all patients regardless of their immigration status. Under the contract, nurses will also receive proper orientation when they’re floated to new hospital units, improving care for patients. And, rather than being sent home at management's whims, RNs will be able to remain at work to provide meal and break relief to other nurses, bolstering safe staffing. These measures will ensure nurses are prepared to provide patients with the highest and safest levels of care possible, resulting in improved nurse retention at Alhambra, which will benefit the entire community long term. Read full story Source: National Nurses United, 10 November 2022
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News Article
GPs each seeing 15% more patients, BMA says
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
The average number of patients each individual GP is responsible for has increased by 15%, or around 300 people, since 2015, the BMA has said. This is due to the ‘slow but steady haemorrhaging’ of GPs over the last few years, which has led to pressures on services growing ‘even more acute’, it suggested. The Association’s statement comes in response to the latest GP workforce data – published by NHS Digital (10 February) – which showed that 188 FTE GPs left between December 2020 and December 2021. Dr Farah Jameel, chair of the BMA’s GP committee, said the figures are the direct result of an ‘over-stretched’ and ‘under-resourced’ NHS. She said: ‘Family doctors, exhausted and disenchanted, feel as though they have no choice but to leave a profession they love because of chronic pressures now made worse by the pandemic. Workload has dramatically increased, there are fewer staff in practices to meet patient needs.’ Insufficient staffing is particularly concerning as the backlog for care continues to grow, she suggested, with many GPs believing ‘the day job is just no longer safe, sustainable or possible anymore’. The NHS and the Government must work to retain current staff as its ‘immediate priority’ and must urgently refocus on retention strategies as a key enabler for the NHS’ recovery. She said: ‘The Government has repeatedly argued that the number of doctors is growing, but this isn’t the reality for general practice, and it begs the question: how many more have to go before something is finally done about it? Our NHS is the people who work in it, and without them, the entire system and provision of patient care is under threat.’ Read full story Source: Management in Practice, 11 February 2022 -
News Article
Staff on prolonged leave with long covid could be dismissed, says NHSE
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Staff on prolonged sick leave due to long covid could be dismissed if ‘redeployment is not an option’ and they are unable to fulfil their contract, new NHS England guidance says. The advice was set out in guidance published this month and follows the government’s temporary, non-contractual guidance that was issued in response to the coronavirus pandemic during its first waves. The government’s advice aimed to provide a temporary enhancement of covid sick pay and meant that staff who were absent with covid would remain on full pay, therefore, did not feel pressured to return. However, NHSE’s guidance warned that “while this provision is still available, it is possible that it may change”. The move has been seen as an inevitable step as the guidance was brought in as an emergency measure, while some employers may have been holding off dismissing staff with long covid or covid-related absences due to guidelines in place. NHSE’s new Guidelines for supporting our NHS people affected by long covid said: “According to [the] guidance, periods of covid-19 sick pay would not be counted towards a colleague’s normal sickness entitlements. “However, if a colleague is approaching long-term sickness (for a period of 12 months or more), the employing organisation would be expected to complete a review at 12 months to understand the ongoing need and potential challenges with a return to work. It adds: “Consideration of dismissal due to the colleague being unable to fulfil their contract should only be considered if redeployment is not an option.” Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 11 February 2022 -
News Article
Record levels of self-harm found at Derbyshire women’s prison
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Inmates held in a women’s prison are making 1,000 calls a month to Samaritans amid record levels of self-harm, increased violence and low safety levels usually only seen in men’s facilities, a damning report has found. Nearly a third of women held at Foston Hall in Derbyshire, which holds 272 residents, told inspectors they felt unsafe, while the use of force in the prison has doubled over nearly three years and is the highest on the women’s prison’s estate. The women’s prison and youth offender institute is the first to be given a score of “poor” – the lowest – for the safety of female prisoners, since HM Inspectorate of Prisons developed its current framework more than a decade ago. Charlie Taylor, HM chief inspector of prisons, said the rating of “poor” for safety levels was a “rare and unexpected finding” in a women’s prison. Recorded levels of self-harm were also the highest in the women’s estate and two prisoners had taken their own lives since the last official inspection in February 2019, he said. “As an indicator of the level of distress, women were making 1,000 calls a month to Samaritans. The prison had no strategy to reduce self-harm or improve the care for those in crisis,” Taylor said. The response to women in crisis was too reactive, uncaring and often punitive, Taylor observed. “This, taken with other safety metrics and observation, meant it was no surprise that in our survey nearly a third of women told us they felt unsafe,” he said. The report also found that the majority of women who harmed themselves did not have enough support or activity and faced daily frustration in getting the help they needed. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 9 February 2022 -
News Article
Free period products at work would relieve anxiety and stress, say nurses
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Nurses have spoken of the anxiety and dread of having periods at work, adding that free period products in the workplace would ‘take one giant stressor off your life’. The comments come as leading nurses from the RCN call for period products to be free and easily available to all healthcare staff. The British Medical Association has also requested that products be available for the well-being and comfort of staff. Advanced care practitioner in trauma and orthopaedics, Lisa Andrews said she wanted colleagues to understand why she might have to leave the ward during shifts if she starts her period or bleeds through sanitary products. ‘Many times I have had accidents which are embarrassing, and I have to stay at work in the same clothes. I dread the thought of having to wear scrubs as they are a lot thinner than my work clothes.’ Intensive care unit nurse Alicia, based in Scotland, told Nursing Standard that having her period at work is ‘very stressful’. ‘The entire time you are worried that you are bleeding through to your scrubs, everyone will know… to talk about periods is very taboo,’ she said. A recent survey of 3,000 people by charity Bloody Good Period found nine out of 10 respondents had experienced stress or anxiety at work because of their period. Having an employer who normalises the discussion of menstrual health at work would help, said 63% of respondents. RCN women’s health forum chair Katharine Gale told Nursing Standard: "The RCN feels that for dignity in the workplace [healthcare staff] need access to menstrual products." RCN Scotland board chair Julie Lamberth said: "As well as availability of period products, nursing staff need to be able to take their breaks so they can access them." Read full story Source: Nursing Standard, 7 February 2022 -
News Article
Trust apologises for saying patient’s sexual assault ‘didn’t happen’
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
A hospital trust has apologised to a mental health patient who reported being sexually assaulted in its A&E department – after it emerged in a safety review that staff wrote ‘this has not happened’ and dismissed her claims of the attack. The victim was admitted to West Suffolk Hospital’s emergency department following an overdose in January last year. While waiting in A&E for a mental health assessment from a specialist team employed by Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust, she reported being sexually assaulted by a male patient who had also been admitted to A&E. Yet a review into the incident, published several months later and shared with HSJ, reveals that after the victim reported the attack to a nurse, the staff member recorded “this has not happened”. They stated that the male suspect in the cubicle next to her had not left his bed and was under constant observation. However, the patient safety review, drawn up after a serious incident probe was launched, adds that this statement was “incorrect, as the [male] patient was not under constant observation”. “There were witnesses to this incident, and CCTV, and yet it was not escalated until I contacted the trust myself to complain,” the victim said. She added that she pursued the complaint, which resulted in a serious incident probe that took several months to conclude, “to prevent others from being failed” in the same way. She said she was left “shocked, confused and furious” to discover staff had dismissed her assault and claimed the male suspect had not been admitted for an assessment on the day of the attack. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 7 February 2022 -
News Article
New mothers left alone and in pain as maternity crisis worsens
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Unable to move and with her newborn baby crying out of reach, Neya Joshi was left alone for hours on an understaffed maternity ward and had to beg for a glass of water. “It was awful, I was so helpless and so desperate, and no one was interested in helping me. I have never felt fear like it,” she said. The medical copywriter, 30, was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder months after giving birth to her son Arjun at Croydon University Hospital in May 2020 and had therapy for a year to recover from the trauma. She is one of thousands of mothers across the country experiencing poorer care because maternity units lack enough staff. Data from 122 NHS trusts in England shows maternity units were forced to shut their doors to women in labour more than 323 times in 2020-21, with units shut for a total of 16,294 hours, the equivalent of 679 days. When this happens women are forced to go to an alternative hospital to give birth. Staffing shortages were given as a reason in more than two-fifths of the closures. Joshi saw first hand the impact of a lack of midwives when she was admitted to hospital to be induced after her waters broke at the height of the pandemic. Visiting restrictions meant she was alone on a ward for 24 hours and, despite being told she was a high priority, there were no free beds. “After they had started the induction I was told someone would come and check me within six hours but no one came and I was just left on my own for hours,” she said. Eventually, after concerns over her baby’s heart rate, she had an emergency caesarean section but her husband was then made to leave an hour later. “I was taken to the postnatal ward and that’s where it all really went downhill,” she said. “It was awful. I was just lying there. I couldn’t move because I had the epidural and my baby was crying." Read full story (paywalled) Source: The Times, 6 February 2022 -
News Article
‘We’ve broken the social contract between the NHS and its people’
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
‘We’ve broken the social contract between the NHS and its people’. That was the blunt conclusion of one senior NHS figure surveying the aftermath of the government’s U-turn on the mandatory vaccination of staff. Most of the NHS’ leadership at national and local level were behind the policy of mandatory vaccination. They believed it was the right thing to do for patients, colleagues and the service. But they were also acutely aware of the reluctance of some staff to get the jab and that changing their minds would be tough – and in some cases unsuccessful. They were also prepared to deal with the consequences of the failure to convert the waverers. They put their credibility and reputations on the line to give the vaccination push as much chance of success as possible. They found time to have and facilitate difficult conversations, even though those discussions were bound to impact on morale at a time of huge pressure. …and then the government pulled the rug from under them. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 2 February 2022 -
News Article
Patient safety and the right of the sick to reject care from unvaccinated staff
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
The question of whether to impose a policy requiring mandatory vaccination for NHS staff has raised countless ethical and practical considerations, but with many healthcare workers still unvaccinated and the Government set for a U-turn over mandatory Covid jabs for NHS staff in England, has enough thought been given to the perspective of patients? Various legal experts and health groups have argued that while doctors and nurses can reject the offer of vaccination, patients should also have the right to refuse treatment from a healthcare worker who is not jabbed, instead requesting that their care is placed in the hands of someone who is protected. With the February deadline pushed back, could patients start to grow weary of staff who have not been vaccinated? Will they feel as though the chance for refuseniks to get jabbed has come and gone, and that it is therefore justified that they are stripped of their right to deliver treatment? “Patients have a right to safe care, so it’s reasonable for patients to expect any health or social care professional caring for them to have had a Covid-19 vaccine,” says Rachel Power, chief executive of the Patients Association. Most patients may not be overly concerned about the vaccination status of those caring for them, but in a world in which we’re expected to live alongside the threat posed by Covid, there are undoubtedly certain groups who will be more invested in these matters. “A person who is ‘vulnerable’ by way of disability or chronic illness (eg immunocompromised) may well have an argument under the Equality Act that the NHS failing to provide vaccinated staff to them constitutes disability-based discrimination,” says one barrister who specialises in mental health capacity law. After all, these individuals are most at risk from COVID-19 – and will be for years to come. Clinically vulnerable people who do find themselves in hospital for whatever reason will know that a Sars-CoV-2 infection could further exacerbate their condition, or endanger their lives. Read full story Source: The Independent, 30 January 2022
