Hospital Nurse Ratio Bill By Bensalem Legislator Passes House

BENSALEM TOWNSHIP, PA —It's called the Patient Safety Act.

And it's a bill that state Rep. Kathleen "KC" Tomlinson said she's been working on since she first took office.

As the prime sponsor, her legislation has now moved to the Senate after recently passing the House. Watch her House session below.

The bill establishes safe and appropriate patient limits under the care of an individual nurse in Pennsylvania hospitals, helping nurses do their jobs and helping nurses to save more patients’ lives.

“Nurses across the state are being assigned to an increasing number of patients, sometimes 10-12 patients at one time,” Tomlinson said. “It’s very simple. The more patients a nurse must care for creates greater opportunities for errors- errors that could cost patients their lives.”

Known as the Patient Safety Act, House Bill 106 would set appropriate ratios for Pennsylvania hospitals dependent upon the acuity of the unit’s patient needs.

"This critical problem was highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic and remains a difficulty today,” she said.

The Patient Safety Act will enhance patient care by ensuring healthcare professionals can respond properly to their patients.

She said a lower patient-to-caregiver ratio would also facilitate better care coordination among healthcare professionals and reduce staff burnout.

“By alleviating the burden on individual caregivers, we would be allowing them to maintain their well-being, job satisfaction, and overall performance,” Tomlinson said. “Nurses are doing all they can to save the lives of Pennsylvanians and now it's time for our Legislature to do its part to protect patients and nurses in our communities.”

The bill now moves to the Senate.