Health Minister has launched updated guidance
designed to support safe, effective, and sustainable staffing
across the Nursing and Midwifery workforce in Northern Ireland.
The Refreshed Delivering Care Policy Framework provides a clear
and regionally consistent approach to determining safe and
effective staffing and skill mix across midwifery and all fields
of nursing.
It strengthens guidance for Health and Social Care Trusts and
commissioners on workforce and workload planning, thereby
supporting a culture of safety and improving staff wellbeing.
Minister Nesbitt said: “In the last 12 years since the Framework
was first published our Health and Social Care system has faced a
growing list of significant pressures, including an ageing
population with more complex needs, longer waiting lists, rising
demand for mental health and wellbeing support services,
persistent health inequalities, and of course, highly constrained
budgets. Against that backdrop, a re-examination of the Framework
was necessary to ensure it remains fit for purpose.
“These challenges highlight why workforce planning must be
robust, evidence based, and future focused. Ensuring we have the
right staff, with the right skills, in the right place at the
right time, therefore remains fundamental to maintaining safety
and quality and in meeting future demand.
“This Framework makes clear that safe and effective staffing is
not only a professional standard, but a strategic priority
embedded throughout our system's governance.
“It will also support the much-needed transformation of our
Health and Social Care system to better meet the needs of our
population, and is therefore aligned to both the Reset Plan, and
the Department's five-year vision for nursing and midwifery.”
This is the first time that the Framework has been refreshed
since its inception in 2014.
Population needs, service models, and the wider health and social
care landscape have changed significantly over the last decade.
Recognising this evolving context and the emergence of new
evidence, a task and finish group was convened in autumn 2023 by
Chief Nursing Officer Professor Maria McIlgorm to refresh the
Framework.
The emphasis of the refresh is on clarifying the roles,
responsibilities and accountability from ward to board and
beyond, including tools and methods to assist robust workforce
planning and improve consistency across the region. The
refreshed framework will support and aid in the preparation for
any safe staffing legislation.
The revised accountability framework contained within this
framework will:
•
Strengthen reporting mechanisms
•
Provide shared accountability
•
Provide and reinforce the importance of evidence to support and
inform decision making.
Going forward, operational workforce planning is the
responsibility of Health and Social Care Trusts and independent
employers. The framework will support more responsive and context
sensitive staffing decisions that align with the health needs of
local populations. By supporting workforce planning
responsibilities with those who are closest to service delivery,
the system strengthens its ability to plan safely, effectively,
and in a way that reflects real patient need.
Professor McIlgorm said: “Within the Health & Social Care
system, Nursing and Midwifery represent the largest segment of
the workforce. Ensuring the right staff, equipped with the
appropriate skills, knowledge, and professional values, and
deployed effectively, is critical to meeting evolving challenges
and delivering improved outcomes and experiences for the
population of Northern Ireland.
“We must prioritise workforce sustainability through effective
recruitment and retention, valuing staff, and promoting wellbeing
via robust workforce and workload planning and with clearly
defined career pathways.
“This Framework outlines how we will achieve this for Nursing and
Midwifery in Northern Ireland, while preparing for the potential
introduction of safe staffing legislation.”
The Framework can be read in full here: https://www.health-ni.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2026-03/Delivering
Care Policy Framework.pdf
