Developing a dependency and capacity staffing tool

Policy drivers to move care out of hospital and into the community also emphasise the need to ensure resources are used effectively. However, there is a paucity of information and processes to support successful management of demand and capacity in community nursing services. With the current emphasis on achieving safe staffing, a solution had to be developed in Solihull that can assess the anticipated demand in terms of individual patient needs, to inform the required nursing capacity on a day-to-day basis. This article describes how involving staff helped create an effective dependency and capacity tool operated through the clinical recording system.