Southampton researchers lead review into nursing staff levels in hospitals

It comes in response to the Francis Enquiries which looked into the failings at Mid-Staffordshire Hospital and how these can be avoided in the future.

Nursing academies from the University of Southampton have been chosen to conduct the government backed review looking into how staffing levels of nurses affects care in hospitals The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) chose the university to carry out the review in a bid to support the development of guidelines on safe staffing, as part of the government's response to the Francis report.

Led by Peter Griffiths, chair of health services research at the university's centre for innovation and leadership in Health Sciences, the team will analyse evidence about safe staffing levels on hospital wards.

Professor Griffiths will be joined by Jane Ball, deputy director of the National Nursing Research Unit.

Professor Griffiths said: “Getting NICE to come up with guidance on safe staffing is an important part of the government's response to the Francis Enquiries into failings at Mid-Staffordshire Hospital and other reports of staffing related care failures in NHS hospitals.

“We are very pleased that our research in this area has put us in a position to support NICE in this work by undertaking evidence reviews.”

The review will be given to the Staffing Levels Advisory Committee that will make final recommendations on staffing levels in hospitals across the UK.