The national NHS Staff Survey results have now been published by the Department of Health. This is an annual survey and the results cover 2011. A sample of staff across Oxford Health NHS FT was surveyed on 38 key areas and just over 50% of the staff surveyed responded.

The Trust scored better than average (compared to similar Trusts) on the overall staff engagement score. This covers staff motivation at work, the ability for staff to contribute towards improvements at work and staff who would recommend the Trust as a place to work or receive care.

Within the top four ranking scores for the Trust, 83% of staff who responded said they receive job relevant training, learning or development – which is better than average.  72% of staff use flexible working options. Support from immediate managers and the percentage of staff feeling valued by work colleagues are two of the most improved areas since the 2010 survey.

The other areas in the top four scores for the Trust include a low number of staff experiencing bullying and harassment and physical violence from patients and staff. Since the last staff survey there has been a reduction in the number of staff experiencing harassment, bullying or abuse from patients. The availability of hand washing materials is also an area of improvement for the Trust. 

Areas the Trust most needs to improve on include work pressure felt by staff and the percentage of staff working extra hours. The Staff Wellbeing and Culture group has been set up to support improvements as a result of staff feedback and has an action plan to support staff health and wellbeing. The staff survey also shows the percentage of staff reporting errors, near misses and incidents as an area for improvement with 94% of staff saying they report these when witnessed. The Trust is aiming for all staff reporting these.

68% of staff said they feel satisfied with the quality of the work and patient care they are able to deliver. The Trust is planning to carry out local staff surveys to find out more about how the areas for improvement can be addressed and there are local and Trust wide action plans in place to support improvements. The Trust values feedback from staff and constantly strives to improve the experience of our staff at work.

The summary survey results are available by clicking here.