Staff at Wye Valley NHS Trust have had their say on what it’s like to work in the NHS in the latest national NHS staff survey.

The results, which are published today, put the Trust above average in all seven of the key “People Promise” elements of the survey, with a “significantly higher” score for the “We work flexibly” category when compared to last year’s results.

The results also show a strong performance in the “We are compassionate and inclusive,” and the “We are safe and healthy” categories.

There was a slight increase in the score for the sense of staff morale at the Trust which put it above the national average once again – an encouraging result against a backdrop of intense and ongoing pressure on services.

Away from the headline figures of the People Promise categories, there was an increase in the number of staff who felt secure to raise a concern over clinical practice and also in the number of staff who felt confident the Trust would address their concern.

Wye Valley NHS Trust works closely with partner organisations, George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust, South Warwickshire Foundation Trust, and Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust as part of the Foundation Group.

Highlighted as best practice within national NHSE guidance, the Foundation Group has a combined workforce of 20,000+ and the model is an improvement collaborative, sharing best practice at pace, increasing resilience, driving productivity, and responding to shared challenges.

Demonstrating the strength of this model, in this year’s survey all four Trusts saw impressive “We are always learning” theme scores with overall improved results comparing favourably to the national average.

This open learning culture across organisations, where improvement is everyone’s business, staff are encouraged to share ideas and drive positive change which is supported by quarterly Foundation Group improvement events and a dedicated yearly Improvement Week.

Jane Ives, Managing Director at Wye Valley NHS Trust, said: “We’re really pleased with the ongoing improved results we are seeing and it good news that we are above the national average in all the People Promise categories.

“These results are really important to us because patients benefit from staff feeling happy at work. To see this continuing improvement despite the huge pressure our hardworking staff have been working under is a great achievement. This is down to good team work and good leadership of our teams.

“There are areas where I know we can improve further and we shall be looking at the details within the report to see where we can work with staff to improve their experience of working for the NHS and ultimately a better experience for our patients.”

Glen Burley, Chief Executive of Wye Valley NHS Trust and the Foundation Group, said: "The NHS Staff Survey is a hugely important indicator for NHS organisations. It enables our Trust to understand what we are doing well while helping us identify further opportunities for improvement.

“I am incredibly proud of this year's NHS Staff Survey results for all organisations within the Foundation Group. The improved results across all members demonstrate our ability to share learning and best practices, which ultimately improves staff engagement and patient care.”

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 £185 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