title: Assessing patient dependency and staff skill mix.
abstract: An assessment tool was developed to measure patient dependency and staff skill mix in a child psychiatry inpatient unit. The authors discuss the results of a three-month pilot implementation. The implications for practice include adjustments in staff duty rotas, allocation of skill mix and the systematic assessment of patient dependency before inpatient admission.
authors.affiliation: Park Hospital for Children, Oxford.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Furlong
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ward
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D002665:Child Psychiatry; D002983:Clinical Competence; D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients / Q000145:classification*; D015401:Nursing Administration Research; D009730:Nursing Assessment; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D010561:Personnel Staffing and Scheduling; D010865:Pilot Projects