The Isle of Wight NHS Trust has welcomed the publication of the 2013 NHS Staff Survey which, among its findings, has shown some of the best feedback from ambulance staff in the country.
Over 124 NHS organisations responded to the national survey, which was carried out between September and December 2013. The average response rate across three of the Isle of Wight NHS Trust’s main areas (acute, ambulance and mental health services) was just over 50%.
Key findings included:
Ambulance: The survey shows that 79% of respondents in the Isle of Wight Ambulance Service say they are able to do a job to a standard they are pleased with, compared with 74% nationally. Other findings show that 91% of respondents have received training on infection control in the last 12 months (compared with 56% nationally), and 69% say they have clear, planned goals and objectives for their job (compared with 60% nationally)
Team working: Nearly all respondents, across the three areas, said that most staff worked in a team (94% of acute, 95% of ambulance and 98% of mental health)
Quality of care: High numbers of respondents said that they were satisfied with the quality of care they give; 82% of acute workers, 90% of ambulance and 83% of mental health
Whistle-blowing: The majority of respondents across all areas said that they know how to report any concerns they have about fraud or wrong doing (91% acute, 92% ambulance, 95% mental health) and most felt safe to raise concerns (70% acute, 78% ambulance and 69% mental health).
Commenting on the survey, Head of the Ambulance Service Chris Smith said:
“I am delighted with the staff survey results which demonstrate the hard work and effort from my team. Their commitment and dedication has reaped the benefits that are reflected in this survey.”
Trust Chief Executive, Karen Baker, said:
“Our staff have some of the hardest jobs in the country and, in addition, have been working against a backdrop of some significant national changes over the past year. Amongst those is the Francis report, which rightly challenges the NHS to be more open and support staff to raise concerns. Therefore, I’m particularly pleased that the majority of our staff know how to speak out if they see something that concerns them, and that most feel safe to raise those issues with managers in order to give our patients the highest quality of care possible.”
Among the initiatives to enable staff to feel confident to raise concerns is a “See Something, Say Something” scheme, which signposts staff to the Trust’s policies on raising concerns and promotes the organisation’s “no blame” culture.
Whilst there are many positive highlights in the report, the Trust is also aware of the need to make improvements in some areas. For example, in common with many other Trusts across the country, more needs to be done to combat work-related stress. Other recommendations from the report include raising the quality and volume of appraisals and ensuring that all staff are clear about the focus of their work.
