First reported 2 Jul 2014•Latest report 25 Jun 2026
Definition
What this concern includes
Includes deficiencies in clinical workload capacity and management that leave clinicians without sufficient time, manageable task demands or effective prioritisation to complete important patient-care tasks, reviews or referrals, including excessive communications where they materially contribute to that unsafe workload condition.
Not included
Excludes generic staffing, recruitment, funding or wellbeing concerns where insufficient clinical capacity to complete patient-care work is not identified.
Excludes isolated failures to access a result, make a referral or complete documentation when workload capacity is not the shared unsafe condition.
Excludes generic communication, information-system or prioritisation failures that do not materially impair the capacity to complete important clinical tasks.
Excludes non-clinical workload deficiencies, including emergency control-room, probation, ambulance or other specialist operational capacity concerns covered by a separately named function.
Excludes failures occurring despite adequate workload capacity where the primary deficiency is clinical competence, supervision, policy, equipment or care-process design.
Reports
8
Distinct published reports
Individual concerns
8
A report can raise multiple concerns
Date range
2014–2026
First to latest report issue date
Stated actions
24
Described in published responses
Reports over time
Reports over time
Reports about this concern issued each year.
* 2026 is projected from reports observed to 7 Sep 2026.
Most frequent recipients
Most frequent recipients
Reports about this concern sent to each recipient.
Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care System1
Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust1
Department of Health and Social Care1
East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust1
Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust1
Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust1
South West London and St George'S Mental Health NHS Trust1
Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust1
The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King's Lynn1
University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust1
NHS trust7
Healthcare site1
Health-system partnership1
Ministerial department1
Concerns and responses across reports
Only concerns grouped under this recurring concern are included. Select any concern, action or position to view the source wording.
City of London
Concerns raised1
Insufficient protected time and unmanaged clinical communications for completion of important tasks
This report raised 5 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concerns
Each statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
Actions described in response An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.1
Action
Prepare a business case and assess internal resources for funding a dedicated Cardiology MDT Coordinator role.
Stated by East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation TrustStated in progressThe respondent said that this action was in progress when they made their response on 21 August 2026.
Birmingham and Solihull
Concerns raised1
Insufficient haematology department staffing and capacity for comprehensive reviews
Responses linked to these concerns
Each statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
Actions described in response An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.5
Action
Increase transplant capacity by reallocating an existing consultant’s job plan to provide more transplant-dedicated time.
Stated by University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation TrustStated completedThe respondent said that this action was complete when they made their response on 21 May 2025.
Action
Extend the senior specialist registrar’s training for six months, focusing on myeloid disease and allogeneic transplantation while supporting transplant clinics under supervision.
Stated by University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation TrustStated in progressThe respondent said that this action was in progress when they made their response on 21 May 2025.
Action
Create and recruit an additional myeloid transplant consultant post.
Stated by University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation TrustStated plannedThe respondent said that this action was planned when they made their response on 21 May 2025.
Action
Create a joint UHB–NHSBT consultant post covering transplant medicine, cellular therapies, laboratory oversight and cross-organisation communication.
Stated by University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation TrustStated in progressThe respondent said that this action was in progress when they made their response on 21 May 2025.
Action
Monitor recruitment to the new consultant posts and report progress through the Hospital Board.
Stated by University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation TrustStated plannedThe respondent said that this action was planned when they made their response on 21 May 2025.
Respondent positions A position is what a respondent says about the concern when they do not describe a specific action.2
Position
Individual NHS trusts and other employers are responsible for ensuring sufficient staffing for safe care.
Stated by Department of Health and Social CareRedirects responsibilityThe respondent said that another organisation was responsible for deciding or taking action.
Position
Regulation 18 already requires trusts to review staffing numbers and skills needed to provide safe care.
Stated by Department of Health and Social CareExisting arrangements considered sufficientThe respondent said that existing arrangements were sufficient, so no further action was needed.
Norfolk
Concerns raised1
Insufficient Tissue Viability Nurse capacity to deal with referrals
This report raised 3 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concerns
Each statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
No linked response statements
No respondent-stated action or position is linked to these concerns in the published data.
West Yorkshire Eastern
Concerns raised1
Insufficient time for clinicians and nursing staff to explain treatment decisions to family members
This report raised 5 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concerns
Each statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
Actions described in response An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.3
Action
Agree three staffing levels and update ward rosters to reflect current staffing plans.
Stated by Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS TrustStated completedThe respondent said that this action was complete when they made their response on 1 March 2019.
Action
Review nursing acuity, dependency and skill mix twice yearly and review roster templates against agreed staffing plans.
Stated by Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS TrustStated completedThe respondent said that this action was complete when they made their response on 1 March 2019.
Action
Continue recruiting registered nurses, midwives and operating department practitioners to increase staffing capacity.
Stated by Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS TrustStated in progressThe respondent said that this action was in progress when they made their response on 1 March 2019.
Blackpool and the Fylde
Concerns raised1
Insufficient staff capacity and time to assess and care for patients
This report raised 1 other concern. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concerns
Each statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
Actions described in response An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.11
Action
Complete a capacity and demand review of Emergency Department nursing and medical staffing.
Stated by Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustStated completedThe respondent said that this action was complete when they made their response on 1 July 2018.
Action
Prepare and submit a paper seeking approval for increased Emergency Department staffing establishment.
Stated by Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustStated completedThe respondent said that this action was complete when they made their response on 1 July 2018.
Action
Continue substantive recruitment to staffing vacancies and provide safe day-to-day shift cover.
Stated by Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustStated in progressThe respondent said that this action was in progress when they made their response on 1 July 2018.
Action
Identify, escalate and safely manage medical and nursing staffing gaps through governance arrangements.
Stated by Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustStated completedThe respondent said that this action was complete when they made their response on 1 July 2018.
Action
Operate the Better Care Now programme to improve patient flow across the health system.
Stated by Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustStated completedThe respondent said that this action was complete when they made their response on 1 July 2018.
Action
Develop and implement an Escalation and Surge Protocol with agreed escalation criteria and assigned actions.
Stated by Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustStated in progressThe respondent said that this action was in progress when they made their response on 1 July 2018.
Action
Use the SAFER care bundle to improve ward patient management and discharge planning.
Stated by Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustStated in progressThe respondent said that this action was in progress when they made their response on 1 July 2018.
Action
Introduce a centralised control room to improve operational management of patient flow.
Stated by Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustStated in progressThe respondent said that this action was in progress when they made their response on 1 July 2018.
Action
Maximise Ambulatory Emergency Care pathways so suitable patients are managed outside the Emergency Department.
Stated by Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustStated in progressThe respondent said that this action was in progress when they made their response on 1 July 2018.
Action
Introduce therapies in the Emergency Department to accelerate admission or discharge decisions.
Stated by Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustStated in progressThe respondent said that this action was in progress when they made their response on 1 July 2018.
Action
Provide triage nurses at reception to improve streaming and fast initial assessment.
Stated by Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustStated in progressThe respondent said that this action was in progress when they made their response on 1 July 2018.
Respondent positions A position is what a respondent says about the concern when they do not describe a specific action.1
Position
Existing recruitment, shift-by-shift staffing and governance arrangements are considered sufficient to identify, escalate and safely manage staffing gaps pending establishment approval.
Stated by Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustExisting arrangements considered sufficientThe respondent said that existing arrangements were sufficient, so no further action was needed.
Worcestershire
Concerns raised1
Inadequate healthcare workload capacity for required clinical work and reviews
This report raised 6 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concerns
Each statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
Actions described in response An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.1
Action
Assess offender-healthcare nursing numbers against workload and headcount.
Stated by Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS TrustStated in progressThe respondent said that this action was in progress when they made their response on 21 January 2015.
Manchester South
Concerns raised1
Insufficient qualified ward staffing capacity for patient workload and complexity
This report raised 7 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concerns
Each statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
Actions described in response An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.3
Stated by Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation TrustStated completedThe respondent said that this action was complete when they made their response on 17 November 2014.
Action
Monitor staffing levels and skill mix through daily reporting, assurance processes, escalation arrangements and senior nursing support.
Stated by Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation TrustStated completedThe respondent said that this action was complete when they made their response on 17 November 2014.
Action
Assess staffing through ward-based accreditation and unannounced walk rounds.
Stated by Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation TrustStated in progressThe respondent said that this action was in progress when they made their response on 17 November 2014.
Respondent positions A position is what a respondent says about the concern when they do not describe a specific action.1
Position
Ward 41 staffing levels met national guidelines, although the ward was busy and further action addressed agency use and substantive vacancies.
Stated by Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation TrustDisputes the concernThe respondent disagreed with part of the concern or the basis for it.
South London
Concerns raised1
Insufficient time to read all patient notes before assessment
This report raised 1 other concern. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concerns
Each statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
No linked response statements
No respondent-stated action or position is linked to these concerns in the published data.
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Includes deficiencies in clinical workload capacity and management that leave clinicians without sufficient time, manageable task demands or effective prioritisation to complete important patient-care tasks, reviews or referrals, including excessive communications where they materially contribute to that unsafe workload condition.
