Published on: 11th March 2021
NHS staff working in community, mental health and learning disability services in Lincolnshire have shared their views on what it is like to work in local services as part of a national independent survey.
Around 90 per cent of those working at Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust (LCHS) and Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (LPFT) feel their role is making a difference to patients, while more than 80 per cent are satisfied with the quality of care they give. Approximately 70 per cent of staff would also recommend their organisation as a place to work.
The feedback comes from the results of the latest annual NHS Staff Survey, which have been published nationally today.
Response rates to the NHS Staff Survey at both Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust (LCHS) and Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (LPFT) were above the national average, with 63 per cent of staff answering the questions for LCHS and 61 per cent for LPFT. Both trusts maintained positive feedback from previous years and showed improvement across a number of key areas.
The national NHS Staff Survey offers the opportunity for all staff to put their views forward on a wide range of topics including Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, Health and Wellbeing, Immediate Managers, Morale, Quality of Care, Safe Environment (Bullying and Harassment), Safe Environment (Violence), Safety Culture, Staff Engagement and Team Working.
LCHS chief executive Maz Fosh said: “The last 12 months have been incredibly challenging for colleagues both personally and professionally as we face the COVID-19 pandemic and their honest feedback has never been more important.
“I am pleased that we have seen improvements in the majority of our scores, across seven out of the ten themes covered in the survey, and proud to have also achieved the top score for community trusts nationally in Health and Wellbeing, Quality of Care and Staff Engagement.
“Despite the pressures teams continue to face, our colleagues are still supporting us to drive improvements that make LCHS a better place to work and receive care. What is very clear is how many advocates we have to support the development and delivery of great care in Lincolnshire, for which I am very proud and very grateful.”
The NHS Staff Survey is coordinated by an independent survey provider, meaning staff can give their honest views anonymously.
The survey was completed throughout October 2020 and is one of a number of ways NHS organisations can gather feedback directly from colleagues throughout the year.
Both organisations have adapted ways of working over the last year to continue to be responsive and supportive to colleagues and patient needs. This has included promoting a safe and open culture for reporting concerns, strengthening staff health and wellbeing programmes and supporting leaders to develop their skills to better support their teams.
Sarah Connery, acting chief executive at LPFT, said she was pleased to see staff would recommend the organisation as a place to work and recognised the proactive action the Trust has taken to supporting people’s wellbeing during the pandemic.
“The NHS Staff Survey is a vital indicator of the Trust’s employment performance and we take the results very seriously.
LPFT has maintained positive feedback from previous years across all of the ten themes and has above average scores in all but one area. Even placing in the top ten mental health trusts nationally for staff recommending LPFT as a place to work.
“There is much to celebrate in these results; but knowing that our staff feel valued and supported with their wellbeing at such a difficult time is particularly important. It’s also good to see these findings tally with our CQC ratings of Good overall and Outstanding for well-led.
“There is always more we can do as organisations and we will all to work through these results and our changing working environment to ensure they translate into meaningful improvements and appropriately address those areas we know should be stronger.”
The full NHS Staff Survey results can be found at www.nhsstaffsurveyresults.com
