The Sheffield Caseload Classification Tool: testing its inter-rater reliability.

Community nursing caseloads are vast, with differing complexities. The Sheffield Caseload Classification Tool (SCCT) was co-produced with community nurses and nurse managers to help assign patients on a community caseload according to nursing need and complexity of care. The tool comprises 12 packages of care and three complexities.

Okay to Stay? A new plan to help people with long-term conditions remain in their own homes.

AimsTo assess the 'Okay to Stay' plan to investigate if this reduces visits to emergency departments, unplanned admissions and elective admission to hospital in elderly patients with long-term health conditions. BACKGROUND: The incidence of long-term conditions is rising as the elderly population increases, resulting in more people from this group attending emergency departments and being admitted to hospital. Okay to Stay is a simple plan for people with long-term conditions to help them remain in their own home if they suffer an acute exacerbation in their health.

Developing a caseload classification tool for community nursing.

Acuity and dependency in the community nursing caseload in combination with safe staffing levels are a national issue of concern. Current evidence suggests that there are no clear approaches to determining staff capacity and skill mix in these community settings. As community nursing caseloads are large with differing complexities, there is a need to allocate community nursing with the best skill mix to achieve the best patient outcomes.