Hospital Staffing Plan posting requirements: Is your patient care unit compliant? 

The Washington State Department of Health (WA DOH) recently clarified expectations on posting of hospital staffing plans as part of state law (RCW 70.41.420 (8)). The clarification can be found in the department’s Hospital Staffing Frequently Asked Questions.(RCW 70.41.420).

A key addition answers the question, "What staffing plan documents need to be posted in every unit of a hospital?”

According to the WA DOH, each patient care unit is required to post the following:

• A paper copy of the unit’s staffing plan.
• The staffing schedule for the current shift (on that unit).
• The relevant clinical staffing for that shift.

Hospitals have the flexibility to either post a daily schedule covering all shifts for that day, or they can update the schedule postings shift-by-shift, as long as current information is available.

In addition to staffing plan details, hospitals must also post any corrective action plan relevant to the unit in a public area. All of this information must be accessible to patients and visitors upon request.

These updates are part of ongoing efforts to promote transparency and accountability in hospital staffing practices across Washington state.