- It's a law that protects nurse staffing levels in Wales. It was passed on 21 March 2016.
- It means health boards and NHS trusts in Wales must "have regard to the importance of providing" appropriate numbers of nurses in all settings.
- The requirements go further in adult acute medical and surgical settings and, as of October 2021, in children's wards.
- In those areas, nurse staffing levels must be calculated according to a specified methodology - and maintained at that level.
- Health boards have a duty to report on compliance with staffing requirements and to take action if failings occur.
- The Welsh Government has issued guidance on how to determine appropriate staffing levels.

Safe and Effective Care
Implementing and extending the Nurse Staffing Levels (Wales) Act 2016
Welsh Parliament debate on safe staffing this September!
Thanks to the phenomenal 10,572 people who signed our parliamentary petition, the Senedd will debate extending legal protections for nurse staffing levels. It's happening on 28 September 2022, so save the date! Find out more using the links below.

What is the Nurse Staffing Levels (Wales) Act 2016?
Why is this so important?
- This law protects patients. Research shows poor nurse staffing levels increased mortality by up to 26% compared to better staffed wards.
- This historic Welsh law is the first of its kind in the UK. International precedents have been successful in reducing patient mortality.
- It empowers the ward sister/charge nurse and the Nurse Director equally to ensure that there are safe nurse staffing levels.
- Safe staffing reduces readmissions, health care-associated infections, medication errors, falls and pressure ulcers as well as allowing nursing staff time to deliver compassionate, sensitive care.
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Last Shift Survey Report

May 2022: Progress and Challenge in Delivering Safe and Effective Care 2022
This major new report from RCN Wales is an in-depth look at how health boards have implemented the Nurse Staffing Levels (Wales) Act 2016, and in particular Section 25B, since it came into force.
It follows and updates our 2019 report, Progress and Challenge: The Implementation of the Nurse Staffing Levels (Wales) Act 2016.

New report July 2022: Retaining Nurses in the Profession
Using case studies, this report examines what approaches to nursing staff retention exist in the UK and what the most successful ones have in common.
Ward Managers: The Importance of Being Supernumerary
We're excited to launch our new report and short film on ward managers in Wales: the issues they currently face, but also the impact great leadership brings in improving patient care and reducing adverse incidents.
Often responsible for around 30 patients and teams of around 40, ward managers need protected time when they aren't required to care directly for patients and can focus on managing and leading their teams. This is called being supernumerary, and it benefits both staff and patients.
RCN members made this possible. Over 100 ward managers from across NHS Wales participated in three focus groups, interviews and an online survey. Their views and experiences and views formed the basis of our recommendations. Read the report.
Safe and Effective Care everywhere
RCN Wales is campaigning to protect patient care everywhere by extending section 25B of the Nurse Staffing Levels (Wales) Act 2016
The Act’s provisions now need to be extended to other areas including mental health, community and care homes. Further work is needed to ensure that better patient and staffing information in these fields is held and that workforce planning tools are developed.
Campaign with us: download digital campaigning materials here to use on social media!
Read our latest reports:
Learning Disability nursing (English/Welsh)
Ventilation in hospitals (English/Welsh)
Care Home nursing (English/Welsh)
RCN Wales 2020 member survey (English/Welsh)

Support for members
We're here to help
- Find out what to do if you see poor care or feel you are being prevented from providing safe, compassionate care here.
- If you are an RCN activist, please login to the reps hub to see the RCN Wales Safe Staffing toolkit. It has been designed by our Employment Relations Team to provide tips and resources that can help both yourselves and our members to escalate any concerns around the implementation of the Safe Staffing Act within their organisations.

Safe and Effective Care - What is happening around the UK?
Page last updated - 14/07/2022