The latest NHS Staff Survey has revealed that staff engagement has improved continuously over the last five years and the majority of staff (69%) agreed or strongly agreed that they would be happy with the standard of care their organisation provided if a friend or relative needed treatment. Most staff (80%) agreed that they were ‘able to do their job to a standard they were personally pleased with’.
However, many staff said they felt under pressure: only 31% agreed that there are enough staff at their organisations to enable them to do their jobs properly, and 37% reported feeling unwell due to work related stress in the last year. As in previous years, results for ambulance Trusts were typically much poorer than for other organisation types.
Commenting on the results, Chris Graham, the Picker Institute’s director of research and policy, and chief investigator for the survey, said: “The results of the NHS Staff Survey provide unparalleled insight into the experiences of staff working in the NHS in England. [The survey] shows welcome improvements in some key measures of staff experience, including overall engagement and staff willingness to recommend their organisations. These improvements represent continuation of a general upward trend and are very encouraging.
“Despite the positive messages about staff engagement, the survey also shows evidence that staff across the NHS are struggling with the pressures facing them. Too many staff complain about inadequate resources, staffing shortages, and the deleterious impact of their work on their own health and wellbeing. Furthermore, results show considerable variation across and within different types of organisation. We call on all employers to closely review their results and take action to ensure staff are supported and listened to. After all, staff wellbeing is not only important in itself, but it is also an essential driver of productivity and patient experience: staff experience cannot and must not be ignored.”
The survey, which was published by NHS England and the Picker Institute, included nearly 300,000 responses from NHS staff.
