Staffing mix and levels are determined by a number of things including financial restraints and the skill mix that an organisation requires. For example, the health service is incredibly labour intensive and accounts for around 75 per cent of resources. This means that managers need to closely examine what personnel is needed to satisfy the demands of the service.
To continue with the example of the health authority, it isn’t enough to say that a particular aspect of the service, a hospital for example, needs a pre-determined number of staff; job descriptions need to be closely scrutinised so that the right skills are brought to that task. This can also be assessed on an individual level depending on what skills each member of staff has. For example, if a particular nurse has a particular skill or experience that can be deployed, why employ someone else to do what one person can easily manage. Obviously, this method must make sure that exploitation does not occur.
A drawback to this method of determining staff levels is that it is all theoretical and does not account for the reality of situations, which would be a better determiner in deciding what staffing levels are actually practical. Having managers using business models for the health service has been both applauded because it is supposed to bring about a greater efficiency, but also criticised because these same managers have little experience of what goes on at grass roots level.
Those in favour of managers running the health service argue that staffing levels and mixes are not simply based on financial criteria, but also on making the service more efficient, and to give the patient a better experience and outcome. Sometimes redeployment is necessary to ensure that each department has a suitable skill mix, and so could determine the staffing levels of that area.
To continue with the example of the health authority, it isn’t enough to say that a particular aspect of the service, a hospital for example, needs a pre-determined number of staff; job descriptions need to be closely scrutinised so that the right skills are brought to that task. This can also be assessed on an individual level depending on what skills each member of staff has. For example, if a particular nurse has a particular skill or experience that can be deployed, why employ someone else to do what one person can easily manage. Obviously, this method must make sure that exploitation does not occur.
A drawback to this method of determining staff levels is that it is all theoretical and does not account for the reality of situations, which would be a better determiner in deciding what staffing levels are actually practical. Having managers using business models for the health service has been both applauded because it is supposed to bring about a greater efficiency, but also criticised because these same managers have little experience of what goes on at grass roots level.
Those in favour of managers running the health service argue that staffing levels and mixes are not simply based on financial criteria, but also on making the service more efficient, and to give the patient a better experience and outcome. Sometimes redeployment is necessary to ensure that each department has a suitable skill mix, and so could determine the staffing levels of that area.
