Mixed bag for North West trusts in NHS Staff Survey

Whilst it was good news for St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals Trust which came out top nationally in terms of staff recommending patient care and working at the Trust to their family and friends, there were several Trusts in the region where staff would not recommend their workplace.

St Helens and Knowsley also came top for safety culture, staff engagement, staff morale, equality and diversity and providing a safe environment for staff.

The staff survey has shown an increase in discrimination since 2015 along with staff experiencing violence at work. Most significantly four of the five Trusts in the North with the highest percentage of staff witnessing errors were filled by Trusts in our region.

Estephanie Dunn, Regional Director for the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) in the North West said: “At a time when close to a third of staff are thinking of leaving, the Government and NHS England must listen and redouble efforts to keep staff in post as well finding thousands of new recruits.

"Half of all staff completing the survey have raised low staffing levels as an issue, more are saying they are working unpaid overtime to keep the service running and increasing numbers report witnessing errors that could harm patients. These are all indicative of a health service with a cavernous gap between the number of staff it has, and what it actually needs to consistently provide safe and effective care.

‘With tens of thousands of nursing posts vacant, what’s needed is targeted investment of at least £1bn in nursing education to increase supply as well as legislation that guarantees the right number of nurses and nursing support staff with the right skills to provide safe and effective care."

She added: “We would urge members who facing discrimination or violence in the workplace to contact the RCN for support and advice. You can also speak to your RCN workplace representatives who can advise you on where else to get support or call RCND on 0345 772 6100 between 8.30am and 8.30pm, seven days a week, 365 days a year.

“We are also keen to work with employers to support improvement in the workplace to benefit both service users and staff and would encourage them to contact their regional officer.”