Staff survey a boost for trust
EMMA CURRY
EAST Lancashire Hospital NHS Trust has achieved its best ranking yet for staff engagement, according to a national staff survey.
The NHS Staff Survey results, published on Tuesday, show that ratings have improved for the second year running, with the trust maintaining its position in the top 20 per cent for staff satisfaction and engagement.
More than 3,500 members of staff completed the survey, highlighting areas where hospitals in East Lancashire did significantly better than the national average.
These included acting on concerns and feedback raised by patients and their families, resources and support available and prioritising the care of patients.
Staff also said they would recommend the trust as a place to work or receive treatment.
Kevin McGee, the chief executive of East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “I am delighted with the results of the latest NHS Staff Survey which shows that as an organisation we continue to improve the support we provide for our most important staff.”
“It is also a testimony that so many staff would recommend the trust as a good place to work and be treated.
“The staff survey results are also excellent news for patients as we know that high levels of employee engagement and satisfaction directly and indirectly influence the quality of patient care and customer satisfaction in our hospitals and clinics.”
The annual NHS Staff Survey collects the experiences and opinions of NHS staff on a range of matters such as training, job satisfaction, quality of care provided to patients asset – our and work-related stress.
The survey ran from September to December last year and results showed that staff also ranked East Lancashire Hospitals highly for their opportunity to contribute towards improvements at work, effective team working and their confidence in reporting any unsafe clinical practice.
Kevin Moynes, director of human resources and organisational development, said: “East Lancashire Hospitals places great importance on the views of our employees and year on year we seek to make improvements based on their feedback.” ●● Royal Blackburn Teaching Hospital, which the East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust runs
The survey also highlighted two areas for improvement, as the trust ranked below average for staff receiving job performance appraisals and the number of staff who believe it provides equal opportunities for career progression.
Kevin McGee added: “Overall we are thrilled with these results and it is a great achievement to be recognised in the top 20pc for many of the key findings, demonstrating further improvement from the ‘good’ scores we achieved the previous year.
“We are not complacent as there is still more we can do, but this is extremely encouraging and our staff should be very proud of themselves for their hard work and commitment to our values which has helped improve our results.
“A massive thank you has to go to all staff, in particular all those who took the time to complete the survey.” ●● Chief executive Kevin McGee