Project Charter and Scope

Improving the Staffing Structure at an Acute Inpatient Psychiatric Facility

The acute inpatient psychiatric unit provides care to individuals with severe mental illness. This vulnerable population can present with behavioral challenges and comorbid medical conditions that can complicate their care and create risks to safety. Staffing on the inpatient unit must support safe and effective therapeutic care that meets the holistic needs of patients served. The optimal environment to provide safe, effective care is one that fosters a culture of learning, compassion, and accountability to performance standards and evidence-based practices. The staffing pattern and structure must be determined by the needs of the patients, census, patient flow, productivity measures, and provide for time to complete training and receive supervision. Creation of a nursing hierarchy that includes a Nurse Manager will provide the necessary leadership to promote team cohesion, support a learning culture and maintain accountability to quality standards. The deliverables for this project include successful orientation of a Nurse Manager and improved compliance with mandatory trainings and nursing documentation of medication teaching. The scope of this project does not include measures of medication administration.