8 Picking up the paperwork
Matter for discussion submitted by the RCN Mental Health Nursing Forum
That this meeting of RCN discusses the need to increase administrative support for nurses so they can spend more time directly caring for patients
- Work led by the Nursing Development Committee
- Lead RCN Council member: Bobbie Chadwick
The Congress 2007 discussion on this issue highlighted the large amount of time spent by nursing staff on paperwork, and the need for administrative staff to take on these duties.
As well as ensuring a four country perspective, the work plan for this item aimed to undertake a literature review to establish the issues relating to administrative tasks and direct clinical care, and to produce e-based best practice guidance to address the issues identified.
The literature review — which included studies from the UK, America and Europe — highlighted an increase in administrative tasks for nursing staff. Evidence shows that administrative tasks take up to two-thirds of nurses’ total working time in hospitals, and impacts on time available to provide direct patient care. Most nurses feel that they are overqualified to perform administrative tasks, and would prefer to concentrate on working directly with their patients or clients. The literature review highlighted a number of themes; the appropriate skill mix and ratios of registered nursing staff to health care assistants, the duplication of information collection, the need for effective documentation to inform quality practice and patient/client experience, and integration with IT systems.
RCN Northern Ireland has been addressing these issues within the context of the Comprehensive spending review, highlighting the negative impact that proposed cuts in health service administrative staff will have upon nursing and patient care. RCN Northern Ireland has also rigorously opposed outline DHSSPS plans to amend the skill mix between registered nurses and health care assistants, believing that this would also have a negative impact on standards of care.
Using the evidence from the literature review as a starting point, an e-based, practical resource for nurses has been developed. The review is being launched at Congress 2008 and will provide a summary of the literature review, assess the value of clinical data in informing and improving patient/client care, provide information on IT and the e-health agenda, and offer solutions and recommendations — presented under strategic, operational and personal frameworks — using good practice examples.