Posted: July 16th, 2022

The Impact of Staffing Practices on Adult Nurses in the UK

The Impact of Staffing Practices on Adult Nurses in the UK

Staffing practices are the policies and procedures that determine how nurses are allocated to different units, shifts, and tasks within a health care organization. Staffing practices can have a significant impact on the quality of care, patient outcomes, and nurse satisfaction and retention. In this blog post, we will explore how staffing practices affect adult nurses in the UK, and what can be done to improve them.

Staffing Challenges for Adult Nurses in the UK

Adult nurses in the UK face several challenges related to staffing practices, such as:

– Shortage of nurses: According to the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), there are about 50,000 nursing vacancies in the UK, which is expected to rise to 100,000 by 2030. This means that many units are understaffed and overworked, leading to increased stress, burnout, and turnover among nurses.
– High patient acuity: The ageing population and the rising prevalence of chronic conditions mean that patients have more complex and diverse needs, requiring more skilled and specialized care. However, staffing practices often do not reflect the level of acuity and dependency of patients, resulting in inadequate skill mix and insufficient support for nurses.
– Lack of flexibility: Staffing practices are often rigid and inflexible, based on fixed ratios or formulas that do not account for the dynamic and unpredictable nature of patient demand and nurse availability. This can create mismatches between supply and demand, leaving some units understaffed and others overstaffed. Moreover, staffing practices often do not allow nurses to have input or choice in their work schedules, preferences, and assignments, reducing their autonomy and satisfaction.
– Poor communication and coordination: Staffing practices can also affect the communication and coordination among nurses and other health care professionals. For example, frequent changes in staff assignments can disrupt continuity of care and team cohesion, leading to errors, conflicts, and dissatisfaction. Furthermore, staffing practices can create silos and barriers between different units and departments, hindering collaboration and integration of care.

The Impact of Staffing Practices on Adult Nurses in the UK

Staffing practices can have a profound impact on the quality of care, patient outcomes, and nurse satisfaction and retention. Some of the impacts are:

– Quality of care: Staffing practices can affect the quality of care by influencing the nurse’s ability to provide safe, effective, timely, efficient, equitable, and patient-centered care. For example, adequate staffing levels can ensure that nurses have enough time and resources to perform their tasks properly, monitor patients closely, prevent complications, implement evidence-based practices, and respond to emergencies. Conversely, inadequate staffing levels can increase the risk of errors, infections, falls, pressure ulcers, medication errors, readmissions, mortality, and litigation.
– Patient outcomes: Staffing practices can also affect the patient outcomes by influencing the patient’s experience, satisfaction, engagement,
and recovery. For example, appropriate staffing levels can enhance the patient’s experience by ensuring that they receive timely attention,
compassionate care, clear communication, education, and involvement in decision making. Conversely,
inappropriate staffing levels can impair the patient’s experience by causing delays,
neglect,
miscommunication,
frustration,
and dissatisfaction.
– Nurse satisfaction and retention: Staffing practices can also affect the nurse satisfaction
and retention by influencing the nurse’s work environment,
well-being,
professional development,
and career progression.
For example,
flexible staffing practices can improve the nurse’s work environment by allowing them to balance their work
and personal life,
express their preferences
and opinions,
and work with colleagues
and patients they enjoy.
Conversely,
inflexible staffing practices can deteriorate the nurse’s work environment by causing them to experience stress,
burnout,
exhaustion,
and dissatisfaction.
Moreover,
supportive staffing practices can enhance the nurse’s well-being by providing them with adequate resources,
recognition,
feedback,
and rewards.
Conversely,
unsupportive staffing practices can undermine the nurse’s well-being by exposing them to violence,
bullying,
harassment,
and discrimination.
Furthermore,
developmental staffing practices can foster the nurse’s professional development by offering them opportunities for learning,
growth,
specialization,
and leadership.
Conversely,
stagnant staffing practices can hinder the nurse’s professional development by limiting their access to training,
mentoring,
promotion,
and innovation.

How to Improve Staffing Practices for Adult Nurses in the UK

Improving staffing practices for adult nurses in the UK requires a multifaceted
and collaborative approach that involves policy makers,
health care managers,
nurses,
and other stakeholders.
Some of the possible strategies are:

– Adopting evidence-based staffing models: Evidence-based staffing models are those that use empirical data
and research to determine the optimal number
and mix of nurses needed to provide high-quality care
and achieve desired outcomes.
Such models take into account various factors such as patient acuity
and dependency,
nurse skill
and experience,
unit characteristics
and resources,
and organizational goals
and priorities.
Evidence-based staffing models can help to ensure that staffing practices are responsive
and adaptable to the changing needs
and demands of patients
and nurses.
– Implementing shared governance: Shared governance is a participatory management approach that empowers nurses to have a voice
and a choice in their work environment
and practice.
Shared governance can enable nurses to be involved in staffing decisions such as scheduling,
assigning,
and transferring staff,
as well as in other aspects of their work such as quality improvement,
policy development,
and professional development.
Shared governance can enhance the nurse’s autonomy,
accountability,
engagement,
and satisfaction.
– Enhancing communication and coordination: Communication and coordination are essential for effective staffing practices, as they facilitate the exchange of information,
the alignment of goals,
the resolution of conflicts,
and the collaboration of teams.
Communication and coordination can be improved by using various tools and techniques such as electronic health records,
handover protocols,
huddles,
rounds,
and multidisciplinary meetings.
Communication and coordination can improve the continuity of care,
the integration of care,
and the patient
and nurse satisfaction.
– Investing in education and training: Education and training are vital for improving staffing practices, as they equip nurses with the knowledge,
skills,
and competencies they need to provide high-quality care
and cope with the challenges of their work.
Education and training can be provided through various modalities such as formal courses,
online modules,
workshops,
seminars,
conferences,
and simulations.
Education and training can cover various topics such as evidence-based practice,
patient safety,
quality improvement,
leadership,
teamwork,
and communication.
Education and training can enhance the nurse’s performance,
confidence,
professionalism, and career progression.

Conclusion

Staffing practices are a key determinant of the quality of care, patient outcomes, and nurse satisfaction and retention. Staffing practices for adult nurses in the UK face several challenges such as shortage of nurses, high patient acuity, lack of flexibility, and poor communication and coordination. These challenges can have negative impacts on the quality of care, patient outcomes, and nurse satisfaction and retention. Therefore, it is imperative to improve staffing practices for adult nurses in the UK by adopting evidence-based staffing models, implementing shared governance, enhancing communication and coordination, and investing in education and training. These strategies can help to create a positive work environment for nurses, a satisfying experience for patients, and a sustainable health care system for society.

References

– Royal College of Nursing. (2021). Safe staffing. Retrieved from https://www.rcn.org.uk/professional-development/safe-staffing
– Ball, J., Maben, J., & Griffiths, P. (2015). Practice environments and the nursing workforce. In J. Buchan, J. Ball, & J. Needleman (Eds.), Oxford handbook of health care management (pp. 255-278). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
– Griffiths, P., Ball, J., Drennan, J., Dall’Ora, C., Jones, J., Maruotti, A., … & Simon, M. (2016). Nurse staffing and patient outcomes: Strengths and limitations of the evidence to inform policy and practice. A review and discussion paper based on evidence reviewed for the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence Safe Staffing guideline development. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 63, 213-225.

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