16 March 2011
Staff at Epsom, St Helier and Sutton hospitals believe their role makes a difference to patients, they look forward to coming to work and they are satisfied with the quality of patient care they are able to deliver.
That’s according to the results of the Care Quality Commission's 2010 annual staff survey, which was conducted to find out how NHS employees up and down the country feel about their work and the organisations they work for.
Published today (Wednesday 16 March), the figures show that staff at Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust have placed the organisation in the top 20% of all hospitals in the country in a number of key areas.
For example, 93% of our staff feel that their role makes a difference to patients, and 81% are satisfied with the quality of care given to patients - not only placing the Trust in the top 20% nationally, but also showing further improvement on last year's results.
In addition, more staff agree that patients are the Trust's top priority and would recommend our hospitals as a place to receive treatment than the national average.
The Trust also scores highly in relation to flexible working, with two thirds of staff taking advantage of the options available. All of this perhaps helps to explain why staff feel motivated, with the results placing the Trust in the top 20% nationally.
The survey, now in its eighth year, is thought to be one of the largest staff surveys in the world, and last year, almost 165,000 people across the country gave their views. 484 staff at the Trust took part in the survey, which is a response rate of 57% compared to the national average of 54%. Their responses placed the Trust in the top 20% of hospitals in England for staff:
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feeling satisfied with the quality of work and patient care they are able to deliver;
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agreeing that their role makes a difference to patients;
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reporting good communication between management and staff;
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motivation;
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using flexible working options.
The report compares the Trust with other acute trusts across the country, and presents year-on-year progress for the organisation. It is split into 38 areas known as key findings, which range from occupational health to job roles and personal development.
Scores in other areas have continued to improve steadily over a number of years, with a 15% rise in those who agree or strongly agree that senior managers communicate effectively with staff, whilst experiences of bullying or harassment from patients and service users are at their lowest levels since the survey first took place in 2003, placing the Trust in the lowest (best) 20% nationally.
Michael Burden, the Trust's Director of Human Resources, said: "We are very pleased with the results of the latest staff survey. They show that people like working here, are motivated, and also that they rate highly the care that we give our patients.
"It is the hard work and commitment of our staff that makes the Trust the success that it is, and it's great news to see so many people satisfied in the work that they do here."
Michael added: "Although there are some incredibly positive findings, there are some aspects that we need to look at improving. For example, we need to make sure our staff work together in teams effectively, with shared goals and objectives. Just as importantly, we need to ensure every member of staff receives a regular appraisal so that we know we are developing their careers with them, and offering them appropriate training, support and guidance.
"Every year, we use the survey to develop an action plan to make working here even better, so it is encouraging to see that significant improvements have been made this year following last year’s survey. For example, two of our most improved scores are related to the fairness and effectiveness of our procedures for reporting incidents, and how we, as an employer, deal with any incidents of harassment or physical violence. Both of these areas were targeted as key priorities for improvement from last year."
There is more information about the Trust and what it’s like to work at our hospitals in this section of our website. The full results of the survey are also available here.
It's 'Your hospital': be one in a 1,000. We are looking for 1,000 people to join a special panel of patients and local residents to give feedback about the work of our hospitals: from the care our doctors and nurses provide to the quality of our food and cost of car parking. It's easy to join and all we ask is for you to be brutally honest. Join now.
