Law no. 2025 – 74 of January 29, 2025, relating to the introduction of a minimum number of nursing staff per hospitalized patient, was published in the Journal Officiel on January 30, 2025.
Until now, only a few care activities (intensive care and neonatology) have been subject to ratios of medical and paramedical staff per patient or number of beds. However, for many care activities, the provisions of the Public Health Code only require staffing levels appropriate to the nature and volume of care provided.
The law of January 29, 2025 remedies this problem by stipulating that, in order to guarantee the quality of care and working conditions, a minimum ratio of caregivers per bed per number of passages for outpatient activities is defined for each specialty and type of hospital care activity.
This ratio, which takes account of the burden of care associated with the activity and can distinguish between needs specific to the specialization and size of the establishment, is set by decree, after consultation with the Haute Autorité de Santé, for a maximum period of five years.
While the publication of this law is to be welcomed in terms of the quality of patient care that should, in principle, result from it, there is reason to wonder about the additional cost it will represent for healthcare establishments, whether private clinics or hospitals. In view of the current budgetary constraints, implementation will have to be monitored with the utmost care.
Author: Bruno Lorit, partner Health
