Staff view of KGH improving, says survey

On Tuesday (February 26) the NHS published its annual staff survey, which offers staff an opportunity to respond to 104 questions.

They are then grouped into ten themed areas and enable NHS trusts to compare how their staff rate them with each other and also compare year-on-year.

For Kettering General Hospital the survey has showed significant improvement in staff views of the organisation compared with last year, with five of the nine themed areas showing “statistically significant improvements”.

These were in: support from immediate managers, quality of appraisals, quality of care, safety culture and staff engagement.

Kettering General Hospital’s chief executive, Simon Weldon, said: “I am incredibly proud ofthe results of this year’s staff survey – it highlights improved levels of staff engagement and pride in our organisation which we know has a positive impact upon the quality of care we give.

“I am particularly proud that the survey reflects staff feeling much more supported and that our focus on safety and quality is also acknowledged.

“An added benefit of the survey is that we are able to compare ourselves against other NHS bodies – this helps identify those areas to address over the coming year in continuing our journey of improvement.”

More staff than ever took part in the survey – 45 per cent of all staff compared with 35.5 per cent last year and a marked improvement on three years ago when only 25 per cent of staff responded.

When compared with last year the survey shows a significant improvement in the overall level of staff engagement with more staff saying that they feel motivated at work and recognised and valued by their managers.

Director of human resources, Mark Smith, said: “We have been working hard to develop shared CARE values within the organisation of being Compassionate, Accountable, Respectful and Engaging in everything we do.

“We believe the new staff survey results demonstrate this is enhancing the staff experience of working here and will help us to improve the patient experience.”