UK - NHS improving on stress and safety finds healthcare watchdog in annual NHS staff survey but results highlight levels of violence and abuse

Citation

(2007), "UK - NHS improving on stress and safety finds healthcare watchdog in annual NHS staff survey but results highlight levels of violence and abuse", International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, Vol. 20 No. 5. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijhcqa.2007.06220eab.003

UK - NHS improving on stress and safety finds healthcare watchdog in annual NHS staff survey but results highlight levels of violence and abuse

NHS staff say they are less stressed, suffer fewer work-related injuries and see fewer potentially-harmful errors, incidents or “near misses”, according to the healthcare watchdog.

The findings were revealed in the annual NHS staff survey run by the Healthcare Commission. In October last year, more than 128,000 staff in 326 trusts gave their views and experiences of working for the NHS in England – there was a response rate of 53 per cent.

The survey provides trusts with information they can use to make changes to improve the working conditions and experiences of their staff. The findings will also be used as part of the Healthcare Commission’s 2006/07 annual health check.

The Commission welcomed figures showing the percentage of staff saying they suffered work-related stress declining from 39 per cent in 2003 to 33 per cent in 2006. There was also a considerable decrease in the number of staff suffering injury or illness because of work, down from 22 per cent in 2003 to 17 per cent in 2006.

The Commission praised trusts for other improvements in safety. This was illustrated by a fall in the percentage of staff saying they saw errors, incidents or “near misses” with potential to harm patients, down from 49 per cent in 2003 to 38 per cent in 2006.

However, the Commission said there was room for improvement in making hand washing equipment available. Survey figures showed that 69 per cent of nurses and midwives (61 per cent of NHS staff overall) said that hot water, soap, paper towels or alcohol rub was always available to them when needed, slightly up from 68 per cent the previous year. In 2006, a further 26 per cent of nurses and midwives said these items were available most of the time (the same in 2005).

In its most recent annual state of healthcare report the Commission urged the NHS to do more to put patients first. Staff were asked if they believed patients were the top priority for their trust: 45 per cent agreed and 26 per cent disagreed, the latter figure rising five percentage points since the previous survey. Staff were also asked whether they would be happy with the standard of care provided in their trust if they were a patient: 39 per cent agreed and 27 per cent disagreed.

The Commission remains worried by unacceptably high levels of violence and abuse being experienced by staff in the NHS.

Figures show a slight increase from last year, although the number of people experiencing violence or abuse from patients remains relatively steady over four years (31 per cent experienced violence or abuse in 2006, 30 per cent in 2005, and 32 per cent in 2003 and 2004). Thirteen per cent of staff said they experienced violence from patients last year, while levels of harassment, bullying and abuse edged up by two percentage points.

This year, in response to requests from the healthcare sector, the results of the survey have been presented on the basis of trust type. This has allowed a unique analysis of the survey responses to separately identify issues of significance to acute, primary care, ambulance and mental health trusts.

In ambulance trusts, for example, almost half of staff reported that they had experienced bullying, harassment or abuse from patients or their relatives. This is partly a reflection of the environment in which ambulance staff work, but the figure has increased five percentage points compared with last year (48 per cent in 2006).

Staff in ambulance trusts also report getting less support from immediate managers and the lowest rates of job satisfaction compared with their colleagues in other types of trust. But more ambulance staff say they are paid for overtime and fewer say they to want to leave their jobs.

Many primary care trusts also changed dramatically in 2006. It was not possible to survey staff at trusts involved in reconfiguration because of the timing of the survey. The Commission, however, is keen to see how staff were affected by change when it undertakes the staff survey again in autumn this year.

For more information: www.healthcarecommission.org.uk