Standards for the level of nurse staffing in critical care units

The gold standard for nurse staffing levels in critical care in the United Kingdom has been established since 1967 at one nurse for each patient. Recent evidence suggests however that there is a great deal of difference in the staffing levels and skill mix between individual critical care units in the UK, with the result that nurses are being challenged to justify and defend the 1:1 ratio. The aim of this article is to provide the wider intensive care community with an overview of the Standards for Nurse Staffing in Critical Care units as proposed by the organisations representing critical care nurses in the UK