Recommendation R31: Staffing and skills mix review
From The Vale of Leven Hospital Inquiry Report, published 24 November 2014.
Recommendation
Health Boards should ensure that the staffing and skills mix is appropriate for each ward, and that it is reviewed in response to increases in the level of activity/patient acuity and dependency in the ward. Where the clinical profile of a group or ward of patients changes, (due to acuity and/or dependency) an agreed review framework and process should be in place to ensure that the appropriate skills base and resource requirements are easily provided.
In brief (written by this site)
The Inquiry asked health boards to review ward staffing and skills mix against patient needs. In June 2015, Shona Robison, Cabinet Secretary for Health, Wellbeing and Sport, stated to the Scottish Parliament that work was underway on workforce planning tools to address ward staffing ratios, skills mix, and changing acuity levels, but an agreed review framework and process was not mentioned (Shona Robison, Jun 2015).
Sources
AI-generated summary of the record on this page, checked by a second model and automatic checks, 1 Oct 2026. The record below is the sources' own words.
About this summary
This recommendation applies across many organisations. The record reflects central policy activity; adoption in individual organisations may vary.
Government response
The Scottish Government accepts its responsibility for the failings identified in the report and we apologise unreservedly for the suffering and loss caused. We accept in full all of the report's recommendations.
Blanket government agreement does not establish acceptance or delivery by each addressee. Some response passages cover groups of recommendations.
Scope of the government response
The Scottish Government accepted all 75 recommendations together, in its response published on 18 June 2015. The response states the acceptance in the Cabinet Secretary's foreword, in section 1.3 and in section 5.1, and repeats it for the recommendations on infection prevention and control (Chapter 3) and on nursing care (section 4.1). It is organised by theme, not by recommendation: Appendix 1 lists the chapter sections that relate to each recommendation, and no passage answers any one recommendation alone. The response shown is the acceptance in section 1.3, which covers all 75.
Delivery
Scottish Government says in progress (18 June 2015)
A lot of work has gone on around that, particularly on getting the workforce planning tools correct. This is not just about staffing and staff ratios on particular wards, albeit that those are important. It is also about the skills mix and, potentially, changing levels of acuity in the ward.
From: Vale of Leven Inquiry (Scottish Government Response), Shona Robison, Cabinet Secretary for Health, Wellbeing and Sport
Site note: From the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Wellbeing and Sport's statement to the Scottish Parliament on 18 June 2015, the day the Scottish Government published its response, and her answers to members' questions on it. On recommendation 31 the words are her answer to a question that quoted the recommendation; the question is the member's words, so it is not in the row.
Responsible bodies
Themes and tags
Who has spoken
- Scottish Government
Response, delivery statement