NHS staff are happier and more likely to recommend their organisation as a place to work than last year, but too many still experience unacceptable abuse from patients and the public, the NHS Staff Survey has found.
Staff reported that the quality of care in the NHS has improved over the last year, with more than seven in 10 saying they would recommend their organisation to their family and friends for treatment, a proportion that has increased every year for the past five years.
Over four fifths of staff said they were happy with the quality of care they give to patients, and the proportion of staff saying they were able to deliver the care they aspire to was at its highest recorded level.
‘It’s welcome news that according to over half a million NHS employees, staff morale is now improving, and patient safety scores are now at a five year high,’ said Sir Simon Stevens, NHS chief executive. ‘While teams across the country are under real pressure, NHS staff consistently go the extra mile for patients. So as a country we need to show the same commitment to them, which is why we are determined to clamp down on abuse and aggression in all its forms.’
However, more than one in four (28.5%) said they had experienced harassment, bullying or abuse from patients, relatives or members of the public, almost one in seven (14.9%) experienced physical violence, and almost 40,000 of those who responded (7.2%) said they faced discrimination from patients over the last year – up from 5.8% in 2015. Racism was the most common form of discrimination, but 2019 also saw the highest levels of reported sexism and intolerance of religion and sexuality.
‘Taking care of and valuing our staff is at the heart of our ambition to make the NHS the best place to work, so I am delighted that managers are increasingly taking an active interest in the health and wellbeing of their teams,’ said Prerana Issar, Chief People Officer for the NHS.
‘Creating a healthy, inclusive and compassionate culture is paramount to delivering the care patients expect. It is not acceptable that our NHS people experience any form of discrimination from patients or the public at work. Our People Plan will set out what colleagues can expect from the NHS as a modern employer.’