After analysis of the 2021 British Social Attitudes survey suggested that public satisfaction with the NHS had fallen to a 25-year low, the latest NHS Staff Survey has now indicated that satisfaction and morale among within the healthcare workforce is also waning.
The results of the NHS survey portray an image of an understaffed health service within which its staff teams are immensely stretched. Almost half of NHS staff now report that over the last 12 months they have suffered from ill-health as a result of work-related stress, and a third declared that they often or always feel burnt-out on the job.
The survey also reveal a marked decline in the proportion of NHS employees who feel there are enough staff at their organisation for them to do their job properly, which is now down to under one in three. The workforce crisis has also recognised by the public, with analysis of the 2021 British Social Attitudes survey published by The King’s Fund and Nuffield Trust laying bare that staff shortages are the second most common reason behind public dissatisfaction with the NHS.
Commenting on the NHS Staff Survey’s conclusions, The King’s Fund’s director of leadership and organisational development, Suzie Bailey, commented: “These findings paint a sobering picture of over-stretched teams working in an under-staffed health service. Staff shortages will be the rate-limiting in tackling the growing backlog of care so today’s staff survey results should ring alarm bells for a government that has pledged to bring down waiting times.
“It is particularly worrying that nearly half of NHS staff now report that in the last 12 months they have felt unwell as a result of work-related stress. In addition, a third of NHS staff now report often or always feeling burnt-out. This is not just inefficient and damaging for staff, it has consequences for patients, as stressed and unwell staff are less able to deliver high quality, safe care.
“The figures also reveal a marked decline in the proportion of NHS employees who feel there are enough staff at their organisation for them to do their job properly. The workforce crisis is also recognised by the public, with staff shortages the second most common reason for public dissatisfaction with the NHS.”
Bailey went on to call on the government to address the issue, starting with a robust strategy to address the ongoing staffing crisis in the sector.
“The NHS workforce crisis long pre-dates the pandemic, following on from years of poor planning, weak policy and fragmented responsibilities. The government has made pledges to recruit more NHS staff, but these are yet to be underpinned by a comprehensive workforce strategy.
“NHS staff are the health service’s greatest asset, yet nearly one in five report being bullied by colleagues and nearly one in 10 experience discrimination at the hands of colleagues. NHS leaders should be seeking to create environments that enable staff to deliver the care they are passionately committed to offering. There are many examples of compassionate and inclusive cultures across the NHS, but sadly, today’s results show there is a long way to go.”
Jessica Morris, fellow at the Nuffield Trust, added that the results of the NHS Staff Survey and the show of public dissatisfaction show the health service is heading in the wrong direction.
Morris said: “It might be unsurprising but is nonetheless concerning to see the first-hand impact of the significant pressures on the NHS on the morale of our health workers. More and more NHS staff are becoming sick with work-related stress, more concerned about gaps in rotas and are less confident their friends or family would be happy with the care they would receive. Despite the NHS promising action on diversity and inclusion we also see reports of discrimination against staff from black and minority ethnic groups jump sharply.
“This comes on the day that the latest British Social Attitudes survey reveals the biggest ever year on year fall in public satisfaction with the NHS, falling to 36 per cent. On the back of two extremely difficult years, satisfaction has reached its lowest point in 25 years. Staff shortages remain a key driver of concern, with nearly half of respondents, 46 per cent to be exact, putting it behind growing dissatisfaction.
“But it remains the case that when people do receive care they rate it highly, this is down to the efforts of NHS staff themselves. But behind this, years and years of shortages and a lack of workforce strategy have overstretched and put intolerable pressure on staff. The pandemic has added much more on top. The journey to recover services and waiting times will be long and difficult and keeping NHS staff on board and supported is the greatest challenge the NHS faces right now.”
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