Press release – March 7 2024

2024/010

Despite ever increasing pressure on services, Wye Valley NHS Trust staff are resilient, hardworking and the majority would recommend the organisation as a place to work.

The national NHS staff survey results are published today (Thurs, March 7), and they show that the overall Trust results in nine key categories are above the national average in all of them.

“Nationally there are nine national ‘People Promise’ elements which pick out key national themes,” said Jane Ives, WVT’s managing director.

“In all these nine categories WVT staff bettered the national average which is a great credit to their level of professionalism, commitment to our patients and endorsement of the Trust as a great place to work,” added Jane.

The nine key areas are: 

• We are passionate and inclusive
• We are recognised and rewarded
• We each have a vote that counts
• We are safe and healthy
• We are always learning
• We work flexibly
• We are a team
• Staff engagement
• Morale

The survey results show that the percentage of staff who are advocates for working at the Trust has risen to 60 per cent (the same as the national average for acute NHS Trusts in England).

The results also show that there has been an increase in WVT staff who believe that the care of patients is the Trust’s top priority.

For the first time since COVID-19 struck, more staff at the Trust now say they are able to meet the conflicting demands on their time at work – putting the Trust above the national average.

However, the pressure on services is taking its toll as the survey shows that staff feel worn out at the end of their shift and a third say they find work emotionally exhausting.

“While the headline figures for the Trust are good, there is much work we need to concentrate on to ensure our hard-working staff members know they are valued and are supported by the Trust’s senior leadership,” added Jane.

“We have put a lot of time and effort into our staff health and wellbeing programme and it’s great to see that there has been an increase in staff members who acknowledge the provision we are putting in place to support a healthy work-life balance, and also an increase in staff expressing support for flexible working options. Both of these are above the national average”.

There have also been healthy increases in the numbers of staff who feel they get recognition for their work and who feel valued by the Trust – results which are again above the national averages.

“Last year we ran our own staff survey to find out what staff thought we could do to improve patient care and the work environment. Staff engaged well with this and we have implemented a range of suggestions on the back of the feedback they gave us.

“We place huge importance on what our staff tell us and we shall be going through the full results of the national NHS staff survey to see what more we can do,” Said Jane.

Glen Burley, Chief Executive of the Foundation Group which includes Wye Valley NHS Trust, said: “I’m extremely pleased to see through collaborative working, the collective progress in the Foundation Group NHS staff survey results this year.

“The results are an extremely important measure to understand what staff feel is working well and where we need more focus. Last year, the organisations in the Foundation Group set organisational-level objectives, as well as setting joint Group objectives.

“These Group objectives place significance on staff health and wellbeing, flexible working and ensuring fair and equal opportunities for staff, while empowering staff to drive changes and innovations to enhance patient care and experience.

“The objectives are tackled together, with learnings shared to support improvements across the Group. With Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust joining the Group in August last year, this year we will be able to collaborate even more for the benefit of all staff and patients."

Ends

Notes to Editors:

• Wye Valley NHS Trust is a provider of health services across Herefordshire and beyond. The Trust exists to improve the wellbeing, independence and health of the people we serve.
• By working closely with our partners, we can make good our promise to deliver a quality of care we would want for ourselves, our families and our friends.
• With an estimated annual turnover of around £295 million, we employ around 3,000 staff. We aim to build new relationships between our staff, patients, service users and their carers with the wider community.

For further information please contact:

Fiona Gurney, communications officer, or John Burnett, Communication and Engagement Manager, Wye Valley NHS Trust: 01432 372928