Mental Health and Learning Disability Inpatient Nurse Staffing Level Tool

The Mental Health and Learning Disability Inpatient Nurse Staffing Level Tool is part of a suite of speciality specific staffing level tools available to help NHS Scotland plan the number of staff they need.


The tool

This tool is used in Mental Health and Learning Disability Inpatient wards across NHS Scotland. It explores and records the variety and complexity of nursing workload.

The tool allows users to record information about:

  • bed occupancy
  • admissions and discharges
  • patient specific interventions
  • task specific activity
  • group work activity

The Mental Health and Learning Disability Inpatient Nurse Staffing Level Tool provides information and a recommended whole-time equivalent for staffing based on the workload data entered.

How to use this tool

The current national recommendation is to run the tools for a two-week period, at least once per year.

Use this tool alongside the Professional judgement (PJ) tool.

The outputs from these tools can be used as part of the Common Staffing Method, to inform safe and effective staffing for your service.

The following video guides and documents provide information on completing this tool. They provide detailed information from how to log in to how to gather and submit data.

Resources to support you

ResourceSourceWhat is it and what is it for
ResourceSource
Healthcare Improvement Scotland
What is it and what is it for
A step-by-step guide to the background of the Mental Health and Learning Disability Inpatient Nurse Staffing Level Tool and data collection.
ResourceSource
Healthcare Improvement Scotland
What is it and what is it for
A step-by-step guide to uploading data onto the Safecare platform.
ResourceSource
Healthcare Improvement Scotland
What is it and what is it for
A user guide on using the Mental Health and Learning Disability Inpatient Nurse Staffing Levels Tool
ResourceSource
Healthcare Improvement Scotland
What is it and what is it for
Template to record data
ResourceSource
TURAS
What is it and what is it for
A variety of learning resources to support understanding workload and workforce planning and the application of the Health and Care (Staffing) (Scotland) Act 2019.
ResourceSource
Healthcare Improvement Scotland
What is it and what is it for
Printable checklist to aid tool run preparation and delivery