Skill mix…..a work in progress?

Nicki Morle Nursing Manager University of Bristol Students’ Health Service

c “If the NHS wants to improve patient care, it should see healthcare assistants as a critical, strategic resource, yet many HCAs feel undervalued and overlooked” Camilla Cavendish 2013 1

What is skill mix?

•A combination of skills available at a specific time •A mix of posts in a given facility •A mix of employees in a post •A combination of activities that comprises each role 3

What is skill mix?

• Differences across occupational groups such as nurses and physicians or between various sectors of the health system • A mix within an occupational group such as between different types of nursing providers with different level of training and different wage rates 3

“We want the right staff, with the right skills, in the right place at the right time. There is no single ratio or formula that can calculate the answers to such complex questions ”4 Jane Cummings Chief Nursing Officer for England

“ There is good evidence that happy, well motivated staff deliver better care and that their patients have better outcomes.” NHS 2013 4

Group Work

Learning Outcomes Look at your own teams with a new perspective How can skill mix help our practice?

Action points to take away

Areas to Consider

No one size fits all Be creative Support from all the clinical team is essential Appropriate training supervision and support Accountability and Delegation

Our Story

Julie Budd, Ian Bailey Health Care Assistants University of Bristol Students' Health Service

Summary

Valuing your team members and investing in them can achieve positive benefits for the individuals, the team as a whole and on the quality of patient care including: Patient satisfaction Staff recruitment and retention Maximize use of resources Value for money

References 1. The Cavendish review: an independent review into healthcare assistants and support workers, Camilla Cavendish, Department of Health, (July 2013) 2. http://rcnhca.org.uk/quality/accountability-and-delegation/ (accessed June 2014) 3. Buchan & O’May Determining skill mix Human resources Development Journal Vol 4 issue 2 (2000) 4. Compassion in Practice, NHS England (2012).

5. RCN First Steps programme http://rcnhca.org.uk/ accessed June 2014)

Any Questions?

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