Press release
Health staff in Bury have their say on working conditions
Health workers in Bury have been having their say on working for the NHS, their experiences and what really matters to them.
The results from the 2009 national NHS staff survey, published by the Care Quality Commission will pave the way for future improvements in working conditions, and quality of care for patients.
The annual survey which is sent to both front line and office based staff, is used to assess how well NHS organisations are delivering the principles and values of the NHS set out in the NHS Constitution. The NHS Constitution aims to deliver high quality work places, and to encourage organisations to address the issues that really matter to staff.
Nationally, there have been a record number of improvements in the 2009 annual NHS staff survey, compared to previous years.
What the results say about staff working conditions at NHS Bury (Bury Primary Care Trust (PCT)):
In total two thirds of staff from NHS Bury and Community Services Bury completed the survey, better than the average response rate for the country.
NHS Bury fell into the best 20% of PCTs in a number of areas including; staff satisfaction with quality of work and patient care they are able to deliver; the ability for staff to contribute towards improvements at work; availability of job relevant training; effective reporting of any errors, near misses or incidents; staff perception of effective action towards violence and harassment, and the number of staff being appraised by their line manager.
In addition:
There has been an increase in reported job satisfaction since the 2008 survey, and Bury’s score was better than the average for England.
94% of staff believed the organisation provides equal opportunities for career progression and promotion, and, although half of staff reported working extra hours, this is a 13% reduction from 2008, and lower than the national average.
John Boyington, Chief Executive for NHS Bury said;
“The national staff survey is a really important tool that enables us to understand what people experience in their working lives. The results will inform improvements in working conditions and practices for the benefit of staff, and will also make a difference to patients, their families and carers.”
“There is room for improvement in some areas including some elements of staff training, and reported work related stress, but overall these are really encouraging results. Our staff will be fully involved in developing next steps toward achieving even more improvements for the future.”
ENDS
Date: 12 April 2010
FOR PRESS & MEDIA ENQUIRIES: contact Caroline Dearden, Corporate Communications Manager on 0161 762 3106 or email communications@bury.nhs.uk
Notes to editor:
The full report is available on the Care Quality Commission’s website.