title: A review of safe-staffing models and their applicability to care homes.
abstract: Presently, there are a range of evidence-based staffing tools that have been used to inform nursing, midwifery and health care capacity. These tools are designed to be used with professional judgement and include frameworks such as Rhys Hearn, the National Services Scotland Care Home Staffing Project, a variety of Royal College of Nursing Tool Kits including the Older People in Hospital's tool and the only National Institute of Clinical Excellence approved safe-staffing tool, Shelford's Safer Nursing Tool. These safe-staffing tools are used to score a patient's or resident's level of dependency across a number of domains, for example a patient/resident's ability to wash, dress, mobilise or fulfil their own elimination needs. While these tools have been beneficial with regards to informing staff levels there are a number of limitations that are important to highlight. Succinctly, most are not readily applicable to care home settings nor do they focus on more person-centred aspects of care.
authors.affiliation: Four Seasons Health Care, Northern Ireland, UK.
authors.forename: Gary
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mitchell
authors.affiliation: Four Seasons Health Care, Northern Ireland, UK.
authors.forename: Carol
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cousins
authors.affiliation: Four Seasons Health Care, Northern Ireland, UK.
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Burrows
authors.affiliation: Four Seasons Health Care, Northern Ireland, UK.
authors.forename: Gary
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cousins
mesh_terms: D009735:Nursing Homes; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010561:Personnel Staffing and Scheduling / Q000639:trends*; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D012606:Scotland
keywords: care homes; health policy; older people; safe-staffing; skill-mix; workforce