Task force set up to tackle nurse shortage in Welsh care homes

A joint task force of representatives from the NHS and independent care providers is being set up to find an answer to the chronic shortage of qualified nurses in Welsh care homes.

This major initiative was unveiled at the All Wales Nurse Conference, which was organised by Care Forum Wales. It is a response to the growing crisis across Wales that is forcing care homes to close, with many other being pushed to the brink. The new approach was unveiled at the All Wales Nurse Conference, organised by Care Forum Wales and attended by 70 nurses.

It comes on the heels of news that the Bush House nursing home in Pembroke Dock is deregistering its nursing beds and, as reported recently in care home co.uk, care provider HC-One is to close Abergarw Manor in Brynmenyn and Southmead Grange in South Cornelly, because of "a national shortage of nursing staff".

According to Care Forum Wales, many nursing homes in North Wales are already struggling and they expect more closures to happen.

Kim Ombler, a director of Glan Rhos nursing home in Brynsiencyn, Anglesey said: “It was a very successful conference and perhaps the single most important thing to come out of it was news of the setting up of a joint task force comprising people from the independent care sector and the NHS in Wales.

“Hopefully, working alongside the main universities, such as Glyndwr and Bangor where more nurses could be trained, this aims to find an answer to the problem of a shortage of qualified nurses.”

The idea of more collaboration between the independent sector and the NHS was endorsed by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN).

Nigel Downs, RCN’s primary care and independent sector adviser in Wales said: “A recent paper on the NHS acute sector shows that while the average care ratio is one staff nurse to every eight patients in the rest of the UK, in Wales it is one to every ten patients.

“The RCN is therefore supporting the preparation of legislation by Kirsty Williams, the Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader, for the Welsh NHS average to be improved.

“If this goes ahead perhaps it could eventually also apply in community health settings and, in the future, also to every care sector.

“This is important because good staffing levels lead to good morale and better patient care.”

The task force will also investigate ways in which the independent sector and the NHS can share good practice