George welcomes progress on patient safety

Andrew George MP has welcomed The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) draft guidance that, to avoid putting patient safety at risk, hospitals should avoid exceeding a ratio of eight inpatients per registered nurse during the day.

Mr George who is a member of the Health Select Committee and has led a campaign in Parliament for safe staffing – arguing strongly for the “Never more than 8” campaign of the Safe Staffing Alliance –  said, “This is welcome news for our safe staffing campaign.  I hope it will encourage Government Ministers to adopt a more rigorous approach to protecting patient safety and respecting professional nursing standards in future. Demanding improved patient outcomes without setting safe registered nurse staffing levels is irresponsible.

“As The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence have highlighted – when is it ever safe in an acute hospital to have more than 8 acutely ill patients to each registered nurse?

“I hope the Government takes this guidance on board and move away from their usual management babble which calls for “the right person in the right place at the right time” – after all, who has ever argued for the opposite?!

“The recommendations of The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence should not be ignored. They must now be acted upon.”

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