Reducing Salisbury’s temporary staff usage while improving acuity and dependency scoring with SafeCare

After COVID-19, Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust, like many others, faced challenges in staffing decisions due to high turnover. Many nursing staff were newly appointed or promoted in a post-pandemic environment with centralised staffing control. The pandemic and other factors led to increased temporary staff usage and escalated staffing decisions to matrons, balancing risk and patient safety. Although SafeCare was introduced in 2018, many ward nurses weren’t using it effectively. As vacancies improved, proper use of SafeCare in twice-daily staffing meetings led to better staffing practices, reduced reliance on temporary staff, and accurate handling of additional duties.