THE NHS trust that runs Okehampton Hospital is pioneering a new system to help ensure that staffing levels are safe for patients.

The Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust is the first in the country to adpot the electronic SafeCare system, which gives live updates for each ward on the number of nurses and their grades, the number of patients and each patient's level of dependency and the seriousness of their condition.

The move is in line with recommendations from the Francis report into the Mid Staffordshire NHS Trust earlier this year, which highlighted the central importance of adequate nursing cover.

SafeCare will be introduced at North Devon District Hospital in Barnstaple, then on the inpatient wards at community hospitals across northern and eastern Devon, including Okehampton and Moretonhampstead.

Carolyn Mills, director of nursing, said: 'This is a really important development for patients and staff alike. We'll be able to keep a close eye all the time on our staffing levels and how these fit with the numbers and types of patient on each ward.

'In the longer term, the information we build up will give us a better understanding of the needs of patients on different wards, so we can anticipate demand and make any necessary adjustments to our baseline staffing.'

The trust expects SafeCare to be fully in use across its hospitals early in the new year. Following the Mid Staffordshire scandal, the chief nurse for England is reviewing the national approach to assuring safe nursing levels. As a result, it is expected that all trusts will have to report their levels to the Department of Health on a regular basis.