consistent assignment in nursing homes

Consistent assignments are the foundation for high quality individualized care and good teamwork because staff know residents so well they can anticipate individual needs and preferences. Consistent CNAs have finely tuned awareness of residents’ needs and changes in their condition.

Consistent assignment of nursing staff to residents is promoted by a number of national organizations as a strategy for improving nursing home quality and is included in pay for performance schedules in several states.

Resource: Consistent Assignment Tip Sheet (PDF, 354 KB) This tip sheet offers ways to implement and sustain consistent assignment of point-of-care staff. Source: Pioneer Network. Topic (s): Patient-Centered Care. Audience (s): Nursing Assistants; Nursing Technicians; Support staff; Clinicians.

Identify current approaches to consistent assignment in the nursing home. For an overview of the process, see the Consistent Assignment Process Review Tool and related Consistent Assignment Flow Diagram .

Consistent assignment in today’s nursing homes is no longer just an option: it is imperative. Your nursing home’s survival depends on your ability to perform at a new level of quality that you can only achieve with consistent assignment. Consistent assignment is necessary to:

Consistent assignment allows staff to develop closer relationships with residents in their care and with co-workers. Conversely, rotating staff assignment continually interrupts the formation of relationships and inhibits staff’s ability to recognize resident decline and optimally address care needs.

Consistent assignment (CA) is the practice within long-term care (LTC) by which care staff work with the same residents almost every shift for an indefinite period of time. CA is considered by many to be essential to person-centred care.

Consistent assignment has developed as a preferred practice in nursing homes based on little empirical evidence. The findings presented here provide substantial justification for the use of this staffing practice for NAs.

Consistent assignment, whereby nursing home staff members, particularly certified nurse aides, are assigned to the same residents on most shifts, is increasingly viewed as a cornerstone of culture change in nursing homes.

nursing staff focus on resident choice and control; consistent assignment of CNAs; provision of case-managed nursing care; and permanent resident-centered scheduling.