BRIS-185
Response
Historic
Review and apply 1991 paediatric nurse staffing standards as minimum
Recommendation
The 1991 standards for the numbers of paediatrically qualified nurses required at any given time should serve as the minimum standard and should apply where children are treated (save in emergencies). The standards should be reviewed as a matter of urgency to take account of changing patterns in the provision of acute healthcare services.
Published Evidence Summary
The following publicly available evidence relates to this recommendation:
- The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) published updated standards in 2021, 'Defining staffing levels for children and young people's services', which serve as the industry benchmark for paediatric nurse staffing (RCN, 2021, https://www.rcn.org.uk/Professional-Development/publications/rcn-defining-staffing-levels-uk-pub-009-569).
- NHS England's 'Safe sustainable and productive staffing' guidance (2018) requires trusts to use evidence-based tools to determine paediatric nursing requirements (NHS England, 2018, https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/safe-staffing-children-young-people.pdf).
How was this assessed?
Assessed by gemini-3-flash-preview on 24 Mar 2026
Checked data held on this site (government responses, progress updates, independent evidence)
External sources searched: www.gov.uk, www.legislation.gov.uk, hansard.parliament.uk
This recommendation requires implementation across many organisations. The assessment reflects central policy response, not adoption in individual organisations.
Jurisdiction
UK-wide
Response
Historic
Response
HistoricNo government response recorded.
Themes & Tags
Recommendation age
24.7 yrs
Last formal update
No formal updates