Will the Minister provide a breakdown of the current average number of nurses and doctors per invasive ventilated bed, by health board?
Staffing levels will depend on the ‘CRITCON’ status of the unit on any given day. CRITCON is a tool used to manage capacity in critical care units linked to the levels of critical care and staff ratios set out in the Guidelines for the Provision of Intensive Care Services.
https://www.ficm.ac.uk/sites/default/files/gpics-v2.pdf
For medical staff doctors there should normally be a ratio of 1:8 (i.e. 1 doctor to every 8 patients) and for nurses a 1:1 ratio for level 3 (invasive) patients and a 1:2 ratio for level 2 patients. There should also be a supernumerary senior registered nurse who provides the supervisory clinical coordinator role on duty in critical care units. These levels may be affected in times of pressure.
Most units in Wales have been reporting a 0A CRITCON status for the past few weeks, meaning that they generally have sufficient staff to meet the units’ demands.