Nursing

1
Nursing Midwifery Workload and Workforce
Planning

• Introduction to Workforce Planning and Staff
  Deployment

2
What is Workforce Planning?

• the process for estimating the required health
  workforce to meet future health service
  requirements and the development of strategies to
  meet those requirements (for a balanced
  workforce)
• At its simplest, effective workforce planning
  ensures you will have a workforce
• of the right size
• with the right skills and diversity
• organised in the right way
• within the budget that you can afford
• to deliver the services you need to provide the
  best patient care.
• (National Workforce Projects)

3
Dimensions of Developing the Nurse Workforce
(RCN, 2003)

• Planning - designing patterns of staff mixes and
  utilisation in line with strategic policy goals
• Production - the supply of nurses including all
  aspects of nursing and midwifery education
• Management - covers all matters relating to the
  employment, use and motivation of nursing staff
• determines the productivity and coverage of
  different nursing services
• and their capacity to retain staff

4
Advantages of Workforce Planning

• identify shortages and surpluses and prevent
  staffing crises
• define tasks and roles and encourage teamwork
• contribute to ensuring patient safety by having
  the right staff skills in place to deliver
  effective care
• identify drivers of both demand and supply
• establish workforce education and training needs
• provide for service development and changing
  healthcare needs

5
Phases of Workforce Planning

1. Short term - ensuring there is sufficient staff
   to cope with the expected workload, i.e.
   rostering
2. Medium term - small adjustments i.e. re-evaluate
   your requirements for any vacancy, e.g. skill mix
3. Long term - manpower planning whereby decisions
   are taken in the longer term regarding staffing
   i.e. due to service change or development for a
4. Operational - decisions taken about the
   deployment of staff that are actually on duty