All Wales Nurse Staffing Programme
The All-Wales Nurse Staffing Programme supports NHS Wales to meet its duties under the Nurse Staffing Levels (Wales) Act 2016 and follow a ‘Once for Wales’ approach.
The All-Wales Nursing Staffing Group, with representatives from all NHS Wales organisations and Welsh Government, is the delivery group for the overarching Programme. The group supports the design and delivery of a national programme of work that will enable NHS Wales organisations to calculate the appropriate number and skill mix of nursing staff required to provide the best care for patients. The Group reports into the Chief Nursing Officer’s forum with Executive Directors of Nursing.
The programme transferred from Health Education Improvement Wales (HEIW) to the Quality and Safety Directorate of the NHS Executive on the 1st April 2024 and the programme of work for the All Wales Nurse Staffing Programme has been refreshed to reflect the CNO priorities and the new direction set out by the Minister for Health and Social Services to the Health and Social Care Committee in December 2023.
A comprehensive programme has been developed which focuses on:
- Continuing to provide guidance and support to Health Boards and NHS Trusts to meet the requirements of the Nurse Staffing Levels (Wales) Act (2016) and follow a ‘Once for Wales’ approach.
- Scope evidence-based tools, standards and guidance informing nurse-staffing levels for different care settings to form part of an agreed triangulated calculation practice in 25A areas (all areas other than adult acute medical and surgical inpatients and paediatric inpatient areas)
- Ensure alignment with national working groups and programmes of work.
- Develop operational guidance to ensure nationally consistent application of triangulated calculation in 25A areas.
- Explore how multi-professional working and workforce models can be used across Health Boards and NHS Trusts.
- Working with HEIW, the NHS Executive, Health Boards and Trusts maximising the use of workforce and patient data to identify trends and themes in service demand over time and to support local and national benchmarking.