Local NHS staff take part in fifth annual national survey

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National Health Service (NHS) staff in Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale are being asked what they think about their working lives.

Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale Primary Care Trust (PCT) will this week be sending out questionnaires to 1032 employees as part of the fifth national NHS staff survey.

“The overall aim of the survey is to gather information that will improve the working lives of those who provide care for patients and in doing so help us all to provide even better care,” said Sue Hamilton, Head of Human Resources for Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale PCT. 

“I urge all staff receiving a questionnaire to take part in this important national survey. Last year 41% of employees returned completed questionnaires and this year we are hoping for more.” 

A proportion of staff in every NHS trust in England are being invited to take part. The survey contains questions about work life balance, team working, job satisfaction, training, management and supervision, violence and health and safety. It is organised by the independent inspection body, the Healthcare Commission, in conjunction with the Staff Survey Advice Centre at Aston University.

Healthcare Commission Chief Executive, Anna Walker, said: “The first four national NHS staff surveys have all been great successes, with more than 200,000 people across the country taking part each year.

“These surveys have highlighted a number of important issues for staff, including for some, their experience of violence and harassment at work, stress and poor work life balance.  As a result of previous survey findings, the Healthcare Commission has made a series of recommendations to NHS organisations and the Department of Health to tackle these problems.  The annual surveys allow us to continue to assess and monitor the way staff are managed and how the highlighted issues have been handled.”

The PCT will use the staff views expressed in the survey to introduce improvements in working conditions. Following last year’s survey Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale PCT has established the Best Practice Employers Group which is tasked with exploring and introducing policies that are intended to benefit the working lives of staff in the future based on the results and feedback from the staff survey. The national staff survey will also provide an opportunity for Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale PCT to benchmark itself against similar organisations and the national picture.
  
Collected data will be sent to Aston University in mid December and trusts will receive a detailed report of their survey findings in February 2008. NHS Trust survey reports and data will be published by the Healthcare Commission in March 2008, together with reports of the overall national findings.