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Aim: Emergency departments are characterised by a fast-paced, quick turnover and high acuity workload, therefore appropriate staffing is vital to ensure positive patient outcomes. Models of care are frameworks in which safe and effective patient-to-nurse ratios can be ensured. The aim of this study was to implement a supportive and transparent model of emergency nursing care that provides structure - regardless of nursing staff profile, business or other demands; improvement to nursing workloads; and promotes individual responsibility and accountability for patient care., Method: A convergent parallel mixed-method approach was used. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics and the qualitative data used a thematic analysis to identify recurrent themes., Results: Data post-implementation of the model of emergency nursing care indicate improved staff satisfaction in relation to workload, patient care and support structures., Conclusion: The development and implementation of a model of care in an emergency department improved staff workload and staff's perception of their ability to provide care., Competing Interests: None declared, (©2017 RCN Publishing Company Ltd. All rights reserved. Not to be copied, transmitted or recorded in any way, in whole or part, without prior permission of the publishers.)