Colleagues at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals overwhelmingly feel that their role makes a difference to patients, according to the results of a major poll.
The results of the latest NHS Staff Survey have now been made available and provide a blueprint for the Trust’s improvement over the next 12 months in areas ranging from patient care to leadership and how colleagues are supported.
The Staff Survey is the largest of its kind and is carried out across thousands of NHS organisations across the country. The results are linked to the national NHS People Promise – a pledge that everyone in the NHS will help improve the experience of working in the organisation.
The themes of the promise are:
- We are compassionate and inclusive
- We are recognised and rewarded
- We each have a voice that counts
- We are safe and healthy
- We are always learning
- We work flexibly
- We are a team
- Staff engagement
In each of these themes, Blackpool Teaching Hospitals scored higher than the national average except one – the theme of We are always learning – where the Trust scored slightly lower than the average largely due to the number of staff appraisals carried out, which were often put on hold during the pressures of the pandemic and have since been reinstated.
In total, 4,017 colleagues completed the survey – more than 50% of all employees. Headline figures show that 88% of people feel their roles make a difference to patients – a figure higher than the national average. Meanwhile, 74% said that care of patients and service users is the organisation’s top priority.
Other positive results showed that more than 70% of colleagues felt their work was valued by their manager and that their manager takes a positive interest in their health and wellbeing, plus more than 80% said they enjoy working with the colleagues in their teams.
Trust Chief Executive, Trish Armstrong-Child, said the results show how hard colleagues have worked over an extremely pressured 12 months and committed to using the results to continue improvements the Trust is making in all areas.
She explained: “I’d like to thank everyone who took the time to share their honest opinions of what it is like to work at the Trust. Many of our colleagues both live and work in the area so are not just part of our team here but also receive care and support.
“The survey paints a picture of a group of almost 8,000 dedicated colleagues who feel they are making a real difference to lives. It’s our job now to ensure we continue to work on improving those areas where work is needed.
“Following last year’s survey, we took steps including introducing new culturally-diverse and ability networks to support colleagues across the Trust, and new ways for colleagues to engage with senior leaders in the organisation.
“We know that working in the NHS is often a highly pressured environment and there will always be areas to improve and this will be a big focus for us over the next 12 months. Blackpool Teaching Hospitals is a great place to work and it’s humbling to know that people are so committed to making a difference to their patients.”