Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust (NDHT) has scored well again in this year’s national NHS Staff Survey, in comparison with similar trusts.
All NHS organisations take part in the NHS Staff Survey, and staff are asked to share their views anonymously about their workplace and job satisfaction. It is an important indicator of how staff feel about working for their particular NHS trust.
Key findings from the survey this year:
- Overall, the scores for NDHT on questions about health and wellbeing remain positive, with 60% of staff reporting that their organisation takes positive action on health and wellbeing (3% higher than average).
- A 2% improvement has also been seen in staff reporting that they have experienced musculoskeletal problems as a result of work.
- However work-related stress continues to rise, with a further 3% decline seen in 2021.
- NDHT has the best score compared to similar trusts nationally for staff reporting that they have personally experienced discrimination at work from manager / team leader or other colleague.
- For the first time in two years, fewer staff reported that they would recommend the Trust as a place to work (68% versus 74% in 2020) or that they would be happy with the standard of care if a friend or relative needed treatment (73% versus 79% in 2020).
- Staff reporting that the organisation acts fairly with regard to career progression/promotion has increased positively by 2%
- After seeing a significant improvement in 2020, the amount of staff putting themselves under pressure to come to work has risen in 2021, from 40% in 2020 to 49% in 2021, which is mirrored nationally within the acute and community benchmarking group.
Suzanne Tracey, Chief Executive Officer at NDHT, said: “The health and wellbeing of staff is a top priority for the Trust, and in light of continuing extreme operational pressures, I am encouraged to see that our scores in this area are still positive. We know that more remains to be done and are working to ensure that we are providing the support our colleagues need.
“The past two years have presented many challenges which our staff have met and continue to meet with determination, dedication and tenacity. I am so proud to witness the way that each and every one of them continues to show such incredible care and compassion to our patients, community and to each other.
“As we near the final stages of our integration with the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust (RD&E) I will continue to listen and engage our staff team as their feedback is crucial in ensuring that we continue to develop and improve as a new organisation.
What happens next?
A detailed presentation on the survey results will be made to the Trust’s Staff Survey task and finish group, (which includes staff and trade union representatives and will also be presented to the Trust Board and heads of departments.
We will be looking closely at where our scores are worse compared to other trusts to identify areas for improvement and where we perform particularly well we will look to build upon our successes. A Trust-wide action plan will then be developed to capture and monitor progress.