Who is responsible for reporting unsafe staffing levels on the ward?

摘要

The consensus statement from Safe and Sound - the Safe Staffing Alliance (features May 15) lists evidence that staffing below a certain level is associated with a greater degree of harm.It is not only staffing levels that are important, but the skill mix of nurses and support workers. More registered and experienced nurses are needed on general wards, and particularly in mental health units and wards caring for older people.The alliance argues that if a nurse on a general medical or surgical ward is asked to care for eight patients or more on day duty, this should be reported as a clinical incident. But who is meant to report unsafe staffing levels by filling in the significant clinical incident forms - the nurses on the ward, the ward sister/charge nurse or the director of nursing?