Editor's blog Wednesday 16 March 2011: Latest NHS staff survey published; still grim reading

The latest NHS staff survey is published

Some key facts follow.

Just under two-thirds (64%, 62% in 2009) would be happy with the standard of care provided by their trust, but this figure remains lower for staff working in mental health trusts (58%, compared with 54% in 2009).

Just over half (53%) of staff would recommend their trust as a place to work (down from 55% in 2009) but this is significantly lower in ambulance trusts at 41% (42% in 2009)

There has been no change since 2009 in the 69% proportion of NHS staff who felt that they could deliver the level of care to which they aspired

Only 30% say that senior managers act on their feedback (29% 2009)

Over 90% of NHS employees said that they work in teams but only three-quarters (75%) agreed that team members had a set of shared objectives or that team members communicated closely to achieve those objectives (78%)

Less than a half (45%, 44% in 2009 ) were satisfied with the recognition they received and only a third were satisfied with the extent to which they felt that their trust values their work (33% same as in 2009)

Less than half of all staff across the NHS (46%, compared with 45% in 2009) felt that healthcare professionals and managers worked well together. While just over two-thirds of staff (70%, unchanged from 2009) could identify who the senior managers are in their trust, and only a quarter (27%, unchanged from 2009) felt that their managers involved staff in important decisions. Just over one third of staff felt that managers encouraged them to suggest new ideas (38%, compared with 36% in 2009), although less than a third (30%) reported that senior managers acted on feedback from staff (29% in 2009).

Eighty seven percent of NHS staff said that they would know how to report any concerns they had about fraud, malpractice or wrongdoing, 74% would feel safe raising these concerns and just over half (54%) would feel confident that their trust would address them. Findings were lower for staff in ambulances trusts (85%, 67% and 44% respectively).