Northumberland commissioners delighted by positive NHS staff survey results in turbulent times
Wednesday 06 April 2022
Staff satisfaction remains high at NHS Northumberland Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) despite the pressures experienced by all during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The national NHS Staff Survey results published recently show that 79% would recommend the CCG as a place to work and 88% would be happy with the standard of care provided to a friend or relative if required.
In addition, 98% of the staff surveyed agreed that care of patients and service users is the top priority for the CCG, which plans and commissions the county’s hospital, community and primary care services.
The annual survey, completed by NHS organisations across England, focuses on nine themes and provides a detailed insight into how staff feel about culture, their wellbeing, levels of engagement and motivation, equality, diversity and inclusion, safety and quality of care.
For the 2021 edition, the survey was updated to align with the NHS People Promise, which aims to reflect what matters most to staff and what would make the greatest difference in improving their experience in the workplace. The CCG scored at or above average across all elements of the People Promise, and for both staff engagement and morale.
A total of 39 CCGs took part in the survey, which was carried out during the last quarter of 2021. Northumberland’s scores were well above the national CCG average for questions such as the number of staff who look forward to going to work and those who would be happy with the standard of care provided.
Siobhan Brown, the CCG’s chief operating officer, said: “These results are really satisfying as they really reflect that the organisation has a clear focus on commissioning high-quality healthcare for the people of Northumberland, while ensuring staff feel valued and are fulfilled in what they do.
“This is the third time we have taken part in this survey and this last year more than ever has highlighted the need for collaboration and working together. Working in the NHS can be challenging and it is not always easy, but it is all about pulling together and being there for each other as a staff team.”
The survey also provides useful information for bosses as to how staff experience can be improved and areas on which to focus.
A number of areas saw a marked improvement from the 2020 scores for Northumberland CCG staff, such as the proportion of staff always knowing what their work responsibilities are rising from 77% to 84% and the proportion agreeing they have frequent opportunities to show initiative also increasing from 77% to 84%.
Siobhan added: “We are really pleased with our results, especially scoring at or above the national average for all of the NHS People Promise elements, but we know that there is always room for improvement.
“Looking after our staff is a key focus and we will not shy away from the less positive results in the survey, as they provide us with really useful information to ensure we continue to provide staff with the right support and opportunities.”