NHS staff survey 2023: Progress & challenges

The latest NHS Staff Survey for 2023 brings encouraging news, showcasing positive strides in several key areas, particularly those aligned with the NHS People Promise. This annual survey, conducted across all NHS trusts in England, provides valuable insights into the experiences and perceptions of NHS staff, shedding light on areas of improvement and successes

CREDIT: This is an edited version of an article that originally appeared on NHS Employers

The survey highlights significant improvements in areas closely linked to the NHS People Promise, with positive outcomes observed in themes such as recognition, learning, flexible working, and team cohesion. These improvements reflect a concerted effort to enhance staff morale and foster a more supportive work environment across NHS trusts. Of notable importance is the boost in staff morale, indicating a fundamental shift towards a more positive and empowering workplace culture.

Staff experience

The results for key areas of staff experience demonstrate positive progress. This is highlighted by an increase in staff recommending the NHS as a place to work, after a fall in 2022. This measure is still below the pre-pandemic level reported in 2019 but moving in a positive direction.

Flexible working 

There has been an increase in the measures of staff satisfaction around flexible working, with particular improvement in staff feeling able to raise flexible working issues with their manager.

Health and wellbeing

The overall score for healthy and safe working has not been reported this year. There were small improvements in levels of burnout and stress experienced for staff, though these remain unacceptably high.

There was an improvement in staff feeling their employer takes positive action on health and wellbeing and on feeling supported by their line manager.

Staff engagement 

The overall indicator for staff engagement is described as stable. There were improvements in the measures of staff involvement and especially in the ability of staff to make improvements happen in their work areas. There was also an improvement in the level of staff recommending the NHS as a place to work.

Key takeaways from other areas

The largest increase was in the measure for learning and development which saw particular improvement on experience of appraisals. There was also improvement on the team working measure.

Recognition and reward saw improvements in staff satisfaction on pay and on feeling recognised and valued. This was backed by a small decrease in staff thinking of leaving the NHS. NHS Employers has developed a range of resources on staff retention to support you with this aim.

The survey continued to show significant equality gaps in the experience of staff with protected characteristics and a gradual increase in the percentage of staff reporting to have experienced discrimination at work. While the new question introduced for 2023 on sexual harassment in NHS workplaces highlighted the need for ongoing action on this issue.

 While the NHS Staff Survey 2023 demonstrates positive progress in several key areas, it also serves as a reminder of the ongoing challenges and opportunities for improvement within the healthcare system. By addressing areas of concern, promoting staff wellbeing, and fostering a culture of inclusivity, NHS trusts can continue to enhance the experiences of their workforce and deliver high-quality care to patients.