P-04-625 - Support for the Safe Nursing Staffing Levels (Wales) Bill – Correspondence from the Petitioner to the Committee, 16.03.2015

RICHARD JONES MBE

16^th March 2015,

Mr William Powell AM

Chair – Petitions Committee

Ty Hywel

Cardiff Bay

Cardiff

CF99 1NA

Dear Mr Powell

Re: P-04-625 ‘Support for the Safe Nursing Staffing Levels (Wales) Bill

I am a Registered Nurse (RN) with 44 years experience of working in or with the NHS in Wales. I have had experience of working in Clinical Environments, Management and Nurse Education and latterly towards the end of my career, had the opportunity to work strategically at a Wales-wide level with Health Boards and with the National Assembly for Wales.

I decided to submit this e-petition for public consideration because I sincerely believe, that there can be no more important duty in Healthcare, than to protect patients and their safety and wellbeing.

A study of United Kingdom hospital wards by Professor Anne-Marie Rafferty, found that patient mortality increased by 26% on wards with lower numbers of Registered Nurses. In California where a similar law was introduced, 30 day mortality rates fell by 10-13%. This is an incredible statistic, which the Committee should take serious note, for the Health and Wellbeing of their local constituents whom they represent.

I am aware the Health & Social Services Committee is currently scrutinising the proposed Safe Nurse Staffing Levels Bill but (and quite properly) this inquiry has focused on the important evidence of organisations such as the Health Boards. I hope that this petition signed by over 1,500 people will demonstrate to your committee the strength of feeling behind the Bill from ordinary members of the public. I have spoken personally to family friends and neighbours, in support of this petition and many of them have been very surprised to find that we do not currently have this legislation already within the NHS in Wales.

I have always believed that the people of Wales all deserve the highest standards of healthcare being delivered by the appropriate numbers of Registered Nurses and Trained Healthcare Support Workers.

I think that this Law would put Wales and the National Assembly for Wales in the vanguard across the United Kingdom, in ensuring that Safe Nurse Staffing Levels are enshrined within the legal framework of Law.

I believe that your constituents will overwhelmingly support the introduction of such an important Law and respectfully ask that all members of the committee support the passage of the Bill into Law.

Yours sincerely

Richard Jones

RICHARD JONES MBE