published on
May 3, 2023

How to safely staff your care home (including night shifts)

WRITTEN BY
Florence
·
posted on
Care organisations
How to safely staff your care home (including night shifts)

In order to meet CQC standards and comply with The Health and Social Care Act 2008 it’s important that you maintain “sufficient numbers of suitably qualified, competent, skilled and experienced persons” in your home at all times.

With winter approaching and the unique challenges presented by Covid-19, there will no doubt be concerns about how to maintain these sufficient numbers. Luckily, Florence can help and we’ve put together a quick glance guide to help you safely staff your care home this winter and beyond.

Determine your staffing needs

First and foremost you need to work out what constitutes a ‘sufficient number’ of staff for your home. Although current legislation doesn’t specify what safe staffing levels are, there are a number of well-known and trusted tools to help you work it out.

The CQC will assess your staff levels based on a number of factors:

  • Any previous enquiries, compliments or complaints that might have been raised or received by management.
  • Feedback gathered from external professionals.
  • Feedback gathered from your service users.
  • Feedback gathered from your staff - including information about how shifts are covered, particularly at nights on and weekends.
  • Observations; are needs being met within your home? Are call bells answered promptly? Are shift handovers swift and efficient?
  • How staffing levels are maintained, and whether they increase at busy times as needed and meet the needs of those being cared for at all times.
  • What recruitment procedures are in place and which agencies are used, if any.
  • Reviewing records; if there are any concerns or red flags, the CQC may wish to see previous risk assessments, individual care files, staffing systems, handover records, staff rotas, or any other relevant information.

Come up with a system

Keep in mind that the unique circumstances of Covid will also have an impact on how you assess your staffing levels. While it is important to meet the above standards set by the CQC, there will also be challenges that come with bringing in new staff during the pandemic.

Florence can help you staff your home safely and efficiently by supplying exclusive staff who will only work in your home. Our nurses’ profiles will also show the date of their latest Covid-19 test, ensuring utmost safety to your current staff and service users.


We are always here to answer any questions you may have, so never hesitate to contact our support team. Simply get in touch with your account manager using the managers@florence.co.uk email address, or by calling 0203 911 2555 to get started.

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