Last week we shared that our Trust has been brought out of special measures. This week we’re celebrating our staff survey results. The latest report shows lots of improvement and that patients are rightly at the heart of everything we do. Our staff are much happier with the care they are able to give to patients, are developing their skills so they can continue to improve patient care, and are much more confident at reporting errors, near misses and incidences to keep out patients safe.

The 2016 staff survey, completed between October and November, is reflective of the journey our Trust has been on since being placed into special measures in 2013. The results are demonstrative of the hard work that’s gone on across our hospitals to improve the experience of both our staff and patients.

Our key findings

A total of 88 questions invited our staff to share their thoughts around five different categories – their job, their manager, their health, wellbeing and safety, their personal development, and the organisation. All categories have improved since 2013, when we started on our journey of improvement. The largest improvement has been seen in the category of “your health, wellbeing and safety”.

Key findings highlighted that 86% of our staff felt satisfied with the quality of the care they are able to provide to patients, 30% more than in 2013, and 88% feel clear on what their areas of responsibility at work are.

Another notable finding is around incident reporting, with 95% of our staff confirming they know how to report unsafe clinical practice, that the reporting of errors, near misses and incidents has significantly improved, and that feedback about changes made in response to these has increased from 83% in 2013.

This is just one way that shows we’re embedding a culture where staff feel more comfortable and confident to raise concerns, and understand their responsibilities. Communication and feedback from senior managers has also improved and staff feel more involved in decision-making. The presence of senior staff members around our hospitals has also increased, which has helped to make communication more effective.

The training and development provided to our clinicians has helped them to stay up to date with professional requirements, and therefore provide better patient care and deliver an improved patient experience.

What’s next?

One area on which we need to focus is staff safety. Worryingly, there has been an increase in the number of staff saying they have experienced physical violence or discrimination from the patients and service users of the hospitals.

Chief Executive Matthew Hopkins said: “I am very proud of the improvements I see every day, and the survey results show that many of the changes we are making are becoming business as usual – in the last three years 30% more of staff are now happier with the care they provide for patients. It’s important that when we listen to them and get their feedback we act and deliver on what they say – and give them the courage to get on with what they need to. I’m particularly impressed with how line managers are stepping up across our hospitals.

“I am also passionate and committed about helping to address the issues behind the rise in the number of staff stating they have experienced violence or discrimination.”

All reports are available:

• Full report
• Summary report