The nursing shortage and the scope for reducing it by redefining their role.

The objective of this research is to measure the extent to which nurses are undertaking tasks that could be left to support workers. The method employed was firstly to classify the activities being undertaken by nurses. This was achieved by surveying appropriate professional groups. Secondly, the amount of time nurses spent on each activity was measured. The results indicate that nurses spend at least 8% of their time undertaking activities which could be undertaken by less-qualified staff. It was also found that 6% of unregistered nurses' time is spent on activities which are classified as being within the remit of a registered nurse. The scale of these results raises significant efficiency and effectiveness issues with respect to the use of both groups of staff and therefore has major implications for their management.