Balancing skill mix--future paediatric health care provision

Issues of "cost vs quality" and the needs for "pairs of hands" rather than "pair of eyes" has meant that nursing service managers are having to look closely at the skill mix of the staff they employ. This paper outlines the need to define the role of the nurse and the function of skill mix review. Arguments are discussed surrounding the issues of an all qualified nursing staff in a traditional hospital or the use of a generic "multiskilled" workforce within a "patient-focused" environment. The reasons for developing the role of the National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) Support Worker are examined and how they, and the Project 2000 trained staff nurse compare, against each other when looking for staff to employ. This paper looks at the paediatric field of health care in the light of the recommendations made by the 1991 Clothier Report to increase the number of specialist trained staff within that environment and what the future role of the children's nurse may be