Drop in staff satisfaction with standard of care at Wigan's hospital trust

The annual poll of NHS staff across England revealed a drop in satisfaction with care standards, while concern over workforce numbers, discontent with pay and work-related stress were also highlighted.

At Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (WWL), 68 per cent of staff who responded to the 2021 survey said that if a friend or relative needed treatment, they would be happy with the standard of care provided there.

This was down from 72 per cent the year before, according to the report, which included responses from 1,973 staff.

It reflected the picture across England, where 68 per cent said they would feel happy with the standard of care – down from 74 per cent in 2020.

Of the WWL respondents, just 36 per cent said there are enough staff for them to do their job properly – down from 42 per cent in 2020.

Some 46 per cent of staff had felt unwell due to work-related stress in the previous 12 months, while 31 per cent often or always felt burnt out because of their job.

Roughly 70 per cent said they feel enthusiastic about their job, compared to 71 per cent in 2020.

Patricia Marquis, Royal College of Nursing director for England, said the national figures will "do nothing to reassure the public".

She added: “Nursing staff have sent a clear message they’re exhausted and that staff shortages are undermining their efforts to give safe and effective care.

“This is a stark reminder of the impact of tens of thousands of nursing vacancies."

The survey reveals 33 per cent of NHS workers across England are satisfied with their pay – 39 per cent at WWL.

Rabina Tindale, WWL’s chief nurse, said the past two years had been “very difficult” for staff and patients, reflected in the survey’s “mixed” results.

She highlighted the trust shared joint first place in Greater Manchester to be recommended as a place to work, had the third-highest staff morale within the sector, that 87 per cent of staff felt their role makes a difference to patients and service users and that 80 per cent of staff enjoyed working together.

She said: “Using our results, our executive team is committed to developing and investing both in our staff and the community we serve, and we are already working hard to tackle some of the key points the results have raised, such as nursing vacancies.

“We have already invested in recruitment drives and have recently welcomed a cohort of new international recruits, as well as making investments in staff already at WWL. In addition, we have a strong focus on nurse development, ward support and matron leadership and patient safety remains one of our top priorities and drivers.

“We acknowledge that there is still work to be done, and we will be working across the organisation to analyse the results in depth and work with our staff to ensure we are listening to what they are telling us, as well as doing everything possible to embed learning from these results and make the trust a better place to work for every one of our hard-working, dedicated and caring staff.”