Nurse Staffing Plan Minimum Criteria Nurse Staffing Coalition June 1, 2018 Introduction This document was created in May of 2018 as a collaborative effort between WSHA, SEIU Healthcare 1199NW, UFCW 21, and WSNA. These organizations came together in early 2018 to develop sample tools that are intended to help hospitals implement House Bill (HB) 1714, which was passed in the previous legislative session. HB 1714 was intended to update and create some accountability around the nurse staffing committee process. You can find the final bill, which shows the changes/additions compared to the previous law, . All hospitals and hospital units licensed under RCW 70.41 must have a Nurse Staffing Committee (including, but not limited to, inpatient units, perioperative areas, emergency rooms, procedural/ interventional units, and hospital-based ambulatory areas). This committee is responsible for developing a nurse staffing plan and reviewing the plans semi-annually. Hospital CEOs may make changes to the plan recommended by the nurse staffing committee. Hospitals are required to follow these plans and submit plans annually to the Washington State Department of Health. Any updates to the plans must also be submitted to the Department of Health. The partners listed above recommend that any staffing plan submitted to the Department of Health include the following elements. Matrix by unit and Each plan should include a matrix of core required by unit and shift dependent on the number of patients for which care is being provided. Matrices may vary by type of unit or type of shift (e.g., medical/surgical floor and operating room matrices will look substantially different, a 12-hour shift matrix will differ from an 8-hour shift matrix). Any matrix should include the following information: Designated shift or start times; and Number of RNs per time by census or cases. If applicable, matrices may include the following additional information: Number of charge nurses; Number and type of support staff;
Nurse Staffing Plan Minimum Criteria Nurse Staffing Coalition June 1, 2018 Introduction This document was created in May of 2018 as a collaborative effort between WSHA, SEIU Healthcare 1199NW, UFCW 21, and WSNA. These organizations came together in early 2018 to develop sample tools that are intended to help hospitals implement House Bill (HB) 1714, which was passed in the previous legislative session. HB 1714 was intended to update and create some accountability around the nurse staffing committee process. You can find the final bill, which shows the changes/additions compared to the previous law, . All hospitals and hospital units licensed under RCW 70.41 must have a Nurse Staffing Committee (including, but not limited to, inpatient units, perioperative areas, emergency rooms, procedural/ interventional units, and hospital-based ambulatory areas). This committee is responsible for developing a nurse staffing plan and reviewing the plans semi-annually. Hospital CEOs may make changes to the plan recommended by the nurse staffing committee. Hospitals are required to follow these plans and submit plans annually to the Washington State Department of Health. Any updates to the plans must also be submitted to the Department of Health. The partners listed above recommend that any staffing plan submitted to the Department of Health include the following elements. Matrix by unit and Each plan should include a matrix of core required by unit and shift dependent on the number of patients for which care is being provided. Matrices may vary by type of unit or type of shift (e.g., medical/surgical floor and operating room matrices will look substantially different, a 12-hour shift matrix will differ from an 8-hour shift matrix). Any matrix should include the following information: Designated shift or start times; and Number of RNs per time by census or cases. If applicable, matrices may include the following additional information: Number of charge nurses; Number and type of support staff;
Elements-of-nurse-staffing-plan-final.docx