Implementing a robust dependency assessment tool is crucial for care homes striving to maintain safe and effective staffing levels. This tool serves as a cornerstone for evidencing and addressing the primary aspect of safe staffing: deploying an adequate number of qualified, competent, skilled, and experienced personnel to comprehensively meet the needs of every resident. Utilizing a dependency assessment tool provides a data-driven approach to staffing calculations, ensuring your service is staffed safely and efficiently.
Before integrating a dependency assessment tool into your care home operations, several pre-implementation considerations are vital. Firstly, determine whether the assessment process will be structured around distinct care areas, individual care units, or different floors within your facility. Secondly, establish whether there’s a necessity or desire to incorporate specific 1:1 care hours into the tool’s calculations, accommodating residents with intensive needs. Furthermore, a thorough review of any additional support requirements for residents is essential to capture the full spectrum of care demands. Understanding your current shift patterns and the operational flow is another key aspect. Accurately identifying the skill sets and competency levels of each staff member ensures effective deployment based on resident needs highlighted by the assessment. Decide on the frequency of dependency tool reviews to maintain accuracy and responsiveness to changing resident needs. Finally, clearly define who will be responsible for completing the assessments and how they will access and understand each resident’s unique care requirements.
To effectively determine the necessary staffing levels, care services must adopt a systematic approach. Employing a dependency tool stands out as the most recognized and evidence-based method to quantify staffing requirements. It’s important to acknowledge that there isn’t a universal ratio or simplistic formula applicable across all care home settings due to the diverse and complex nature of care environments. The optimal staffing solution is unique to each organization and even within different units of the same organization. Reaching an appropriate and safe staffing level necessitates a blend of concrete evidence, reliance on validated tools, the application of informed professional judgment, and a collaborative, multi-professional perspective. Transparency and openness are paramount, both within the organization and in communication with residents, their families, and the wider public, fostering trust and accountability in staffing decisions.[i]
[i] How to ensure the right people, with the right skills, are in the right place at the right time, NHS England Nov 2013.
Further Reading and Guidance:
- www.cqc.org.uk/guidance-providers/regulations-enforcement/regulation-18-staffing
- https://www.skillsforcare.org.uk/CQC-provider-support/Delivering-good-and-outstanding-care/Safe-staffing.aspx
This tool is rooted in the Rhys Hearn Method, a recognized approach to dependency assessment.
For further assistance and detailed guidance on implementing and utilizing dependency assessment tools, please contact Care 4 Quality.
