Trust celebrates improved NHS Staff Survey results

More than 3,000 staff at the Alexandra, Kidderminster and Worcestershire Royal Hospitals have had their say on working in the NHS and helped to highlight the many improvements made at their hospitals.

The latest national NHS Staff Survey results – published today – saw a huge year-on-year increase in the number of staff at Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust taking part, as well as showing significant progress across a range of key indicators of staff satisfaction.

A total of 3,485 members of Trust staff took the time to share their views in the annual anonymous survey – an increase of more than 50 per cent on the number of staff who took part in the previous year’s survey.

The results highlight a strong performance in ‘We work flexibly’ and ‘Morale’, where scores surpass the national average, especially in areas supporting work-life balance and flexible working. Scores for ‘We are safe and healthy’ have also steadily improved, now comparing favorably with the national average.

Significant improvements were found in several key areas, including employees feeling more confident in recommending the Trust as a great place to work. More staff also feel safe speaking up about any concerns, supported in reaching their full potential in their roles, and provided with the right learning and development opportunities when needed.

Results of this year’s NHS Staff Survey showed improvements across all seven of the NHS’ ‘Our People Promise’ themes, as well as in staff engagement and morale, highlighting the positive progress the Trust is making despite the challenges faced across the NHS.

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust work closely with partner organisations, George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust, South Warwickshire Foundation Trust, and Wye Valley NHS Trust as part of the Foundation Group. Highlighted as best practice within national NHSE guidance, the Foundation Group has a combined workforce of 20,000+ and the model is an improvement collaborative, sharing best practice at pace, increasing resilience, driving productivity, and responding to shared challenges.

Demonstrating the strength of this model, in this year’s survey all four Trusts saw impressive ‘We are always learning’ theme scores with overall improved results comparing favourably to the national average. This open learning culture across organisations, where improvement is everyone’s business, staff are encouraged to share ideas and drive positive change which is supported by quarterly Foundation Group improvement events and a dedicated yearly Improvement Week.

Stephen Collman, Managing Director at Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “We are really pleased to see progress across all seven of the People Promise themes and encouraged that more colleagues have taken the time to speak up this year , to tell us about their experiences. Whilst we recognise there are still improvements to be made, these results show we are heading in the right direction. We will keep on listening to our colleagues to address the things that we know are important to them so that we can continue to build on these positive results.”

Glen Burley, Chief Executive of Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust and the Foundation Group, said: “The NHS Staff Survey is a hugely important indicator for NHS organisations. It enables our Trust to understand what we are doing well while helping us identify further opportunities for improvement. I am incredibly proud of this year’s NHS Staff Survey results for all organisations within the Foundation Group. The improved results across all members demonstrate our ability to share learning and best practices, which ultimately improves staff engagement and patient care.”