Safety critical nurse-to-patient ratios
Setting limits on the maximum number of patients per registered nurse in every UK health care setting
The evidence is clear. We need staffing levels that protect nursing staff and patient safety.
High numbers of nursing vacancies mean many nurses are caring for unsafe numbers of patients and facing overwhelming pressure and burnout.
Patient care is put at unacceptable risk when there are too few nurses to deliver safe care – the risk of death increases by 3% each day a patient experiences a registered nurse staffing shortage.
We've brought together UK senior nurse leaders with international workforce experts to assess the evidence and agree our collective vision for the future.
We aim to set safety-critical limits on the maximum number of patients per nurse – in every health and social care setting in every part of the UK.
Right staff, right skills, right place, right timeÂ
This isn’t just about numbers. We often hear about nurses being asked to do tasks they’re not trained for. This risks their professional registration and can pose a risk to patients.
It’s critical that the right nursing staff with the right skills are in the right place, at the right time. But our members consistently tell us this doesn’t happen in their workplace.
It doesn't have to be this way. In other parts of the world, like Canada and Australia, mandatory nurse-to-patient ratios exist to protect nursing staff and patients.
Our path to change
We made a commitment to our members that we'll campaign for safe nurse-to-patient ratios. We'll achieve this in 3 phases.
Raise awareness
We're highlighting the risks of unsafe staffing, using evidence from our members.
Set ratios
We'll set safety-critical ratios for every UK health and social care setting.
Secure commitment
We'll campaign so that health leaders and politicians fully commit to safety-critical ratios.
We must set a safety critical red line when it comes to how many patients nursing staff are expected to care for. We know 1 nurse can be left caring for 10, 15 or more patients at a time. It's not safe. It's not effective. And it's not acceptable.
Read more
Actions you can take today
Become a standards champion
Our Nursing Workforce Standards set out what must happen within workplaces for nursing staff to deliver expert, patient-centred care. Help embed them at your workplace.
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What does the evidence say?
Watch the videos below to hear more about the global evidence for ratios.
'The international evidence base for establishing minimum safe hospital nurse staffing standards'
Professor Linda Aiken
Professor of Nursing and Sociology
Founding Director, Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research, University of Pennsylvania
'Nurse staffing research evidence and NHS policy'
Professor Jane Ball
School of Health Sciences, University of Southampton
'Learning from ratios in Australia'
Professor James Buchan
Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh
'Our nurses, our future: An overview of the global nursing workforce'
Howard Catton
Chief Executive Officer, International Council of Nurses
'Why safe nurse-patient ratios? Because it's our job!'
Linda Silas
President, Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions
