- Conference
- 2014 Health Care Service Group Conference
- Date
- 6 December 2013
- Decision
- Carried as Amended
In light of the Francis, Keogh and Berwick reports, this Conference calls upon the Health Service Group Executive to work with regions, utilising ‘The Safety in Numbers Campaign’, to campaign for mandatory safe staffing levels.
The campaign should involve actively lobbying of UK and devolved Governments to instruct Health Boards to ensure that safe-achievable staffing levels and skill mix, agreed with the trade unions, are in place in all clinical areas. This should go beyond the English proposal of monthly publication of staffing levels. Publication of such figures is meaningless unless the standards are clearly set and allow for the fluctuations of patient acuity and dependency.
Such a move would allow our dedicated and hard working members, in all pay bands in all clinical areas, the time to give the high level of care they want to throughout the day, in a safe environment that engenders compassion.
Conference believes by doing this, patients will receive the high level of care that they have the right to expect from our NHS.