NHS staff survey results revealed
By Julie Griffiths on 06 March 2018 NHS England Survey
The findings from NHS England’s NHS Staff Survey 2017 are ‘challenging’, according to NHS Employers.
The summary of results reveals that 11 key findings of the survey have improved since 2016 but 21 key findings have declined. Some 36 questions have improved since 2016 but 58 have declined.
NHS Employers said the results show that staff cannot absorb further work pressures and that investment is needed in health and social care services.
Approximately 1.1 million NHS employees in England were invited to participate in the survey between September and November 2017 and some 487,227 staff responded to the survey, which was a 45% response rate – up 1% from 2016.
Results of staff satisfaction with pay has decreased by 6% since 2016, with just 31% of staff saying that they are satisfied with their level of pay.
The survey also reveals that 38% of staff reported feeling unwell due to work related stress in the last 12 months, which was up by 1% since 2016. And 52.9% of staff attended work in the last three months despite feeling unwell because they felt pressure from their manager, colleagues or themselves. Overall, staff were reporting lower satisfaction with the quality of work and care they are able to deliver.
NHS Employers chief executive Danny Mortimer said: ‘Employers in the NHS have been anticipating worsening results from this most recent survey and sadly their concerns have been reflected in the outcome.
‘The country needs to take these challenging results seriously. We cannot expect staff to absorb additional work pressures year on year without it having an adverse effect on their experience of work. A long-term solution to sustainable investment in the NHS – and other vital public services – is clearly required.
‘It’s disappointing but understandable that staff are less satisfied with the standard of care they are able to provide and that they are feeling more stressed.
‘I am, however, encouraged that staff continue to be willing to recommend the NHS as a place to be cared for. ‘The fact that more staff feel their managers and organisations support their health and wellbeing is positive and is a result of longstanding efforts by employers to address workplace health issues. The increasing focus on supporting staff through mental health issues is clearly having a positive impact and we are keen to share the lessons learnt from the NHS with other employers.’
Access the full survey results here.