Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust today welcomes results from the 2021 NHS Staff Survey. Responses highlight positive staff experiences at Gateshead, with the organisation scoring highly in employee advocacy in comparison to national averages.
The results are based on a Trust-record participation rate of 47% – above the national average response rate of 46%, and feedback highlights a shared confidence amongst staff in the Trust’s ability to deliver outstanding patient care.
With the national average sitting at 66.9%, more than three quarters of Gateshead staff shared that they would be happy with the standard of care provided were a friend or relative to require care at Gateshead.
Elsewhere, 80.2% of staff also registered their belief that care of patients is the top priority at Gateshead compared to a national average of 75.5%.
Encouragingly, a mammoth 87% of colleagues told us that they feel their role makes a difference to patients and service users, highlighting the joint commitment and collaborative approach that exists within Gateshead to enable outstanding patient care. Further shining a light on staff experience at Gateshead, the percentage of colleagues who’d recommend the Trust as a place to work was also an impressive 6.3% higher than the national average.
I’d like to personally thank our staff for making their voice count by taking time out of their busy days and nights to complete the 2021 Staff Survey. The survey is so important in allowing us to better understand staff experiences and more effectively prioritise as an organisation.
Lisa Crichton-Jones, Executive Director of People and OD, said
“Our teams have taken a more active interest than ever before in helping make Gateshead the workplace they want it to be. We have had a record number of staff taking the time to let us know how they feel, and this feedback is being used to improve staff experience. It also highlights how we need to continue to prioritise staff health and wellbeing following two of the most challenging years the NHS has ever faced.
“It goes without saying that our staff have shown outstanding dedication, courage and compassion during the pandemic, and continue to do so. Despite all the difficulties, over 80% of our staff agree that our top priority as a Trust is the care of patients, demonstrating the compassionate culture that exists here and that helps us to produce high-quality patient care each and every day.
“Elsewhere, colleagues continue to tell us that they’d recommend Gateshead as a workplace year after year, with Gateshead scoring 6% above the national average. This really echoes the ‘Gateshead Family’ ethos which we live to. We work together to overcome the challenges that are thrown our way.
“We recognise that we’ve asked a lot from our fabulous staff over the past two years and, understandably, their learning and development has been difficult to maintain at pre-pandemic levels. But as part of our commitment to the NHS People Promise, we will increase our focus on staff development, supporting staff to maximise their development in our organisation.
“In line with a national trend, our colleagues are telling us that we need more staff if we’re to continue delivering great care. Accordingly, we will continue to prioritise our work on supply and recruitment, launching a new recruitment campaign soon which includes the arrival of our first international nurses over the summer.
“I’d like to again thank our staff for playing an active role in improving our culture. As promised from the off, we will listen, we will hear, and together, we will act.”
For the first time, this year survey results were reported up against the NHS People Promise. Gateshead ranked above the national average in five of the seven elements that make up the People Promise and sit at the average in another.
Full 2021 NHS Staff Survey results were published on Wednesday 30th March and can be accessed via the Staff Survey Coordination Centre website.