RCN Wales publishes Progress and Challenge report for Safe and Effective Care campaign

RCN Wales launches 'Progress and Challenge in delivering safe and effective care 2022: How NHS Wales has implemented the Nurse Staffing Levels (Wales) Act 2016' report

The report demonstrates the importance of the Nurse Staffing Levels (Wales) Act 2016 for patient experience and safety and shows progress and areas of challenge.

Nicky Hughes, Associate Director RCN Wales: ‘The Welsh nursing profession has led the way in the UK many times, being the first country to move to an all graduate profession and the first to implement legislation to improve safe and effective care through safe staffing levels. We can be very proud of these achievements and this report provides clear evidence of how the nursing profession delivers improvements in patient care.

She continued: “Low nurse staffing levels can increase mortality by 26% and lead to adverse patient experiences.  The Nurse Staffing Levels (Wales) Act 2016 has improved patient care, with less patient falls and hospital acquired pressure ulcers being reported.”

RCN Wales is calling on the Welsh Government to implement the recommendations in this report, including in this parliamentary term, extending Section 25B of the Nurse Staffing Levels (Wales) Act 2016 to the community and mental health inpatient wards.

The Welsh Government was the first in the UK to protect patients by enshrining the principle of safe and effective care in law. This radical pragmatic approach of prioritising the most important concern in health care, must continue.

--ENDS—

Notes to editors:

• The RCN Wales successfully campaigned for the first safe staffing legislation in Europe: The Nurse Staffing Levels (Wales) Act 2016. After being fully implemented by April 2018, specifically to acute adult medical and surgical wards, this legislation was extended to paediatric wards from October 2021
• The Royal College of Nursing represents nurses and nursing, promotes excellence in practice and shapes health policy.
• For further information please call the RCN Communications and Media Hub on 029 20680769 or 07773 367707.