S.S.T.S. Scottish Standard Time System dult Inpatient Workload Tool User Guide 2015 mended May 2015 1
dult Inpatient Workload Tool on the SSTS Platform Link onto the SSTS website either by using the link from your Local Intranet or by using the address below: https://workforce.mhs.scot.nhs.uk/eyou/authentication/login.aspx Login: Type in your user name (will be the same if already registered onto SSTS within the Board, if not this will be supplied by the local SSTS System Manager) Press Tab Key: Type in your Password (if you do not have a password this will be supplied by the local SSTS System Manager. This must be changed when you first logon) Press Return Key You will then be presented with the following screen: 2
If these details are correct then click on Confirm. If these details are incorrect then follow the instructions on screen. You will then be presented with the following screen. Click on SSTS You will then be presented with the following screen 3
Check Current Location at the top of the screen is the location you wish to enter data for, if not Click: My ccount Click: Change Working Location You will then see all of the ward and clinical areas that you have access to. Scroll down: if necessary to the ward/area that you are going to input the dult Inpatient data into. Click: onto the ward/area then Click: Select (you will note that the toolbar heading has changed to the ward/area you are planning to work on, please check that this information is correct? If correct then click on OK You will also see that the Workload Tools Box is highlighted) 4
Click: Workload tools This will give you a drop down menu of all the workload tools that you can access. Click: onto dult Inpatient tool You will then be presented with this screen Click: dd 5
You will then be presented with this screen SSTS will default the Days Open to 7 also Hours Open to 24, both can be changed by clicking into the appropriate box and amending. Enter the figure for verage Occupied Beds - this should be the number of occupied beds and not the % beds occupied. For example; 6 If the ward has 30 bed ward and average occupied beds is 80%, i.e., average of 24 occupied beds. 24 should be entered If the ward has 32 beds and average occupied beds is 80%, i.e., average of 25.6 occupied beds. 25.6 should be entered Enter the verage number of patients per dependency. Enter the average number of patients per Dependency, for the designated period, for each of the 4 Dependencies. This should be the number of patients and not the % of patients. If the average occupancy for the ward is 30 patients then the total number of Dependencies should equal 30. For example; The occupancy is 30 patients: verage number of patients per Dependency: Dependency 1 = 6 Dependency 2 = 9 Dependency 3 = 9 Dependency 4 = 6 Total =30
The user can enter either occupancy or dependency data (or both). Enter the Period Start and Period End. This is the date range on which the average occupancy/dependency info is based and must be entered by the user before saving. Click: Save The user (if permissions are set up) will then be shown a summary screen of the data entered including the recommended nursing WTE (rwte) from the tool. 7
dult Inpatient cuity-quality Workload Tool Frequently sked Questions and nswers General Q1 Why are we being asked to apply the Workload Tool? The Scottish Government has mandated the application of the national nursing & midwifery workload tools, where available, in NHS Board workforce planning arrangements. The background to the development of the workload tools stems from the recommendations of an audit commissioned by the Chief Nurse for Scotland and the Nurse Directors and carried out by udit Scotland. The report, Planning Ward Nursing -Legacy or Design, was published in 2005 and led to the national programme of work which is currently in progress. number of recommendations were made including the need to have a consistent and systematic approach to nursing and midwifery workload and workforce planning across Scotland, which would include the measurement of nursing workload to calculate staffing requirements. major programme of work has been undertaken in Scotland since the publication of the report, under the auspices of the National Nursing and Midwifery Workload and Workforce Planning Programme (NMWWP), and a suite of tools have been developed for a number of specialties, including; dult Inpatient; Small Wards; Neonatal; SCMPS children s; Community Children s Nurse and Children s Specialist Nurse (CC&SN); Clinical Nurse Specialists; Community Nursing; Maternity; and the Perioperative environment. multiprofessional workload tool has been developed for Emergency Department and Emergency Medicine Workload. ll of these tools are available locally on an IT platform within the SSTS. Q2 Why not use another tool? The dult Inpatient Tool (IP) was readily available for use and met the requirements of previously determined national criteria. Some NHS Boards in Scotland already contributed to the ongoing development and updates of this tool. Though the tool was widely used in the UK the application was patchy. The NHS in Scotland wanted to develop a consistent and systematic approach in the use of this collection of inpatient workload tools across the country. The IP was initially used as a stand-alone tool however the Scottish approach is to use it within a Triangulated process alongside local quality measures and indicators. The direction of travel was set out by the Directors of Nursing who commission this work. Q3 What s in this for staff? The aims of the NMWWP work are i) to ensure that Boards have good quality information on the specific workload demands of each specialty to inform and support decisions on having the right number of staff, in the right place etc. and ii) to provide staff with a tool to help them better understand the workload and support the negotiations on staffing needs locally. 8
It is important that staff recognise the value of the workload tool and the information provided. The information is an integral part of the triangulation process used by NHS Boards to make local decisions on staffing needs. Q4 How often will the tool be run? From a Board perspective agreement will be reached locally on the frequency of application. However, the tool is freely available for your use. It can be applied in any number of ways; shift-by-shift; daily; weekly; fortnightly; monthly; bi-annually; and annually. The more data that is gathered the more valuable the information becomes as trends, patterns, variability in workload, staffing needs, etc., can be monitored and recorded on a regular basis. It is likely that national runs of the tool will be required to meet national workforce planning arrangements. Q5 Will the work result in fewer nursing posts? The aim of this programme is to provide workload tools to help staff and organisations recognise staffing needs in relation to workload. Decisions will be made locally on the information. That is why it would be useful to be familiar with the tool, and the reports and information that is provided and how to analyse and use the information most effectively. bout the Tool Q6 How does the tool work? The tool measures all aspects of your work and includes; Direct and Indirect Care which is all patient related work including record keeping, liaison, communications, etc.; ssociate Work which includes general non-clinical workload such as clerical, administration, cleaning, stocking, errands, meetings etc.; and personal time. Q7 Does the tool consider mandatory training requirements? Predicted bsence llowance of 22.5% is included in the IP Tool. The national recommendation issued to each Board in NHS Scotland is that 22.5% time out allowance is incorporated into nursing and midwifery budgets. Some Boards may have a higher or lower allowance in their workforce calculations. This is a local decision. Q8 Q9 The tool does not capture all aspects of my work. The tool has been developed using independent Observation Studies of nursing workload in many hundreds of inpatient wards. The studies have been carried out in a wide variety of specialties as a basis for providing evidence and understanding of the range, variation and complexity in the workload of nurses. What do I need to do before I start using the tool? You need to make sure you are familiar with the workload tool. Please read through the guidance provided. 9
Q10 Why am I being asked to use two tools? You are being asked to use the Professional Judgement Tool (PJ) along with the workload tool. This forms part of the Triangulation approach mentioned above. The workload tool provides WTE information on staffing needs that is considered alongside other local information, such as the PJ WTE staffing outcomes, which is based on your judgement of needs for the workload at that time, before decisions on staffing can be made. Triangulation Process The triangulation process offers a reliable method against which to deliver evidence-based workforce plans to support existing services, redesigning of services and/or the development of new services Local context includes: integrated workforce planning skills base speciality mix model of care Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 How do I access and use the tools? The local SSTS Systems Manager will provide an individual user name and password. Managers will decide who will access and the level of authority of that access. The tool does not reflect the complexity of the workload. It is important that you are familiar with all aspects of the workload tool. 4 Patient Dependency Levels are built into the calculator each of which recognises a different measure of complexity of the workload. Some care requires more than one nurse. This was recognised in the Observation Studies and workload for each nurse included in the development of the workload calculator. There may on occasion be exceptions to the norm such as 1:1 specialling required Current ongoing developments to this tool recognise the need for 1:1 specialling. It is anticipated that in future developments this workload would be an integral part of the tool. t this time you are asked to gather this information locally, including start and finish time of special and number of staff and genda for Change Band required. This workload will be classed as additional workload and will be added to the IP WTE outcome required for the rest of the ward patients. Q15 Will the tools be kept up-to-date? The members of each of the national working groups have agreed review periods for refreshing the individual workload tools. This may be on an annual or eighteen month basis. The agreed period for the IT is approximately eighteen months. 10
Data Q16 When will I find out the results from the tools? It will depend on the level of authority you have been given locally. Regular use of the workload tool will generate data for local reports. The local reports are available in BOXI and local SSTS managers can grant this access. Dissemination of reports is a local decision. It is important that good quality data is entered to ensure that the outcomes are a robust reflection of your workload. Please note: If you don t like the answer don t automatically think that the tool must be wrong. Check the following: 1. There are no gaps in the data entered 2. The data quality of the entries is accurate and reliable 3. ll patients have been included 4. The average number of Occupied Beds recorded by the Board is a true reflection of your workload Tips 1. Use the tool regularly to build up your individual workload profile 2. Use this as one piece of information within the Triangulation approach including other local measures such as PJ, ctual, Funded WTE, use of temporary staff, sickness and absence, etc. to build up a picture of your individual needs. 11