POLICY NO: P-12

Date reviewed Issue No.

28/01/16
5
Page 1 of 3

Kettlewell House
STAFFING LEVELS
1.

INTRODUCTION
Our staffing levels for care staff are determined by an assessment of residents
dependency, needs and aspirations and are premised on our care services being led
by Registered Nurses at all times.
Staff rosters/off duty are completed with consideration to getting a good balance of
skills/experience/effectiveness on each shift.
Underpinning this is the ongoing training, development and supervision of all staff.

2.

STAFF NUMBERS
The authorised on-going care staffing levels within the home are as follows.
However, additional staff in excess of these levels may be approved by the owner
when the care needs of specific residents require it.

3.

RN's

Day
Hours/

Night
Hours/

Total
Hours/

Resident/

Resident/

Resident/

Day
3.0
3.4

Day
1.6
1.3

Day
4.6
4.7

Care Assistants

No of
Residents

AM

PM

Night

AM

PM

Night

Up to 30
30-37

1
1

1
1

1
1

7
8

6
7

3
3

MODEL FOR CALCULATING STAFFING LEVELS

The staffing levels in the above table have been set based on the Rhys Hearn
method of determining nursing staff.
The calculator recommends the following care staff hours per resident per day for
the various levels of care needs shown:

POLICY NO: P-12

Kettlewell House

Date reviewed Issue No.

28/01/16
5
Page 2 of 3

STAFFING LEVELS
Level of
Care
Needs

Typical Care Needs

Care Staff
Hours per
Resident
per Day

Typically a person in this care group:

1.
Is continent
2.
Does not require assistance in the toilet
3.
Can feed him/her
4.
Can wash him/herself
5.
Can walk without assistance, but may use a stick/zimmer
6.
Can manage own affairs
7. Can make needs known

1.0

Typically a person in this care group:

1.
Is continent, but may have the occasional 'accident'
2.
Can usually manage in the toilet, but may need
supervision
3.
Can feed him/herself
4.
May need supervision or assistance with washing
5.
May need supervision or assistance with dressing
6.
Walks without assistance, but probably uses a
stick/zimmer
7.
Can manage own affairs with little assistance
8.
Can make needs known

2.0

Medium

Typically a person in this care group:

1.
Is occasionally incontinent
2.
Requires assistance in the toilet
3.
Can feed him/herself, but may need minimal help
4.
Needs supervision or assistance with washing
5.
Needs help with dressing
6.
Needs to use a walking aid or be assisted, may use a
Wheelchair
7.
Requires assistance with financial affairs
8.
Has difficulty making needs known

3.0

High

Typically a person in this care group:

1.
Is sometimes doubly incontinent
2.
Requires assistance in the toilet, uses a commode or
requires incontinence care
3.
Requires assistance or has to be fed
4.
Requires washing & dressing
5.
Walks with assistance or is bedfast/chairfast
6.
Cannot manage own affairs
7.
Cannot make needs known

4.0

Self
Caring

Low

Based on this model, our policy is to provide four care staff hours per resident per
day, as recommended for high care needs in the model.

POLICY NO: P-12

Kettlewell House

Date reviewed Issue No.

28/01/16
5
Page 3 of 3

STAFFING LEVELS
4.

MONITORING
When there are any residents with care needs in excess of the high level, the
Registered Manager should assess whether there are sufficient residents with care
needs at the lower levels to compensate for this. If not, authorisation should be
sought from the owner to increase the staffing level.
The Registered Manager should constantly monitor incidents and accidents for
trends and if there is unusual high level of incidents or accidents or if they occur
during a particular part of the day, staffing should be reviewed.
The results of the staffing sections in the six monthly Laing & Buisson Customer
Satisfaction Surveys should be reviewed to ensure staffing levels are appropriate.

4.

Risk Assessment of Residents

During the assessment prior to admission a full risk assessment in respect of
mobility, which will include handling, will be undertaken. Such risk assessment
will include determining the weight of the patient, ability to weight bear, any
aids needed to ensure the safe handling of the patient and number of staf
required.