Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust (CNTW) has welcomed results from the annual NHS Staff Survey.
The survey, which is undertaken by all NHS trusts in England, is an important measure of what life is like for NHS staff. It focuses on seven elements aligned to the People Promise, which aims for people to work together to improve the experience of working in the NHS for everyone.
The key elements are:
- We are compassionate and inclusive
- We are recognised and rewarded
- We each have a voice that counts
- We are safe and healthy
- We are always learning
- We work flexibly
- We are a team
The survey also collects scores for staff engagement and morale.
CNTW scored above average in all of these themes when compared to other mental health and learning disability trusts who took part.
In this benchmark group, CNTW scored the highest in two areas. 82% of staff who responded said they would feel secure in raising concerns about unsafe clinical practice, an increase on the previous year.
The survey also revealed that the majority of staff said they felt there were opportunities for them to develop their career in the organisation.
There are significant improvements in some scores from last year including a reduction in the numbers of staff who said they had experienced discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation, which is in line with the Trust’s commitment to LGBTQ+ inclusion at work. The Trust has recently received a Silver Employer Award in Stonewall’s Workplace Equality Index.
The survey showed a culture of trust, with high numbers of staff saying they felt they were trusted to do their job and 79% stated they felt listened to by their managers.
The Trust continues to perform well overall in the area of equality and diversity. High numbers of staff said the Trust acts fairly with regard to career progression and promotion regardless of ethnic background, gender, religion, sexual orientation, disability or age.
A number of staff reported incidences of physical violence at work. Violence and harassment towards staff is unacceptable and something we are working hard to improve. Using the data from the survey we will continue to target our ongoing work reducing violent incidents where it is most needed.
Lynne Shaw, Executive Director of Workforce and Organisational Development, said: “We would like to say a huge thank you to all of our staff for their hard work and dedication. We are proud to hear that staff feel like they are trusted and supported by managers.
“We also welcome the opportunity to make improvements in areas where this survey has highlighted that we could be doing more. We will be carefully reviewing the results to develop an action plan, doing everything we can to make CNTW a great place to work and providing the best possible care for those who need us.”
Following the results, CNTW is planning to hold a Trust-wide ‘Big Conversation’ to help shape actions for improvement. The conversations will also consider the impact of the differing experiences relating to working practices as part of the response to Covid-19. The results will also be analysed by protected characteristics and involve Staff Networks in the development of any actions.