Burnt-out staff: The King's Fund responds to NHS staff survey

Commenting on the latest NHS Staff Survey results, Suzie Bailey, Director of Leadership and Organisational Development at The King’s Fund, said:

‘Nearly 600,000 NHS staff completed this survey and the results lay bare the physical and mental toll of working in the health service. Stress levels have shot up, with nearly half of staff reporting feeling unwell as a result of work-related stress in the past 12 months. This is hardly surprising when nearly 40 per cent of health service workers do not feel there are enough staff at their organisation for them to do their job properly.

‘In the year that the Black Lives Matter movement swept the globe, it is shocking to learn that 17 per cent of black and minority ethnic staff reported experiencing discrimination at the hands of their own colleagues.

‘It would be easy to explain away these findings as being a consequence of the pandemic, but many of these issues are not new – they existed before the pandemic and will sadly continue beyond it. With NHS waiting lists now having swollen to 4.6 million people, there is little sign of the pressure on staff abating.

‘These results should ring alarm bells for a government that came to power pledging big increases in NHS workforce numbers. There are promising signs that new recruits are joining in greater numbers and some of the indicators in this survey are slowly improving. However, nearly one in five staff are considering quitting the NHS. Urgent, concerted and sustained action is needed to address this.

‘Many NHS organisations have found innovative ways to support their staff during this most challenging of years, but these local initiatives need to be matched by national action. To honour its manifesto commitments, the government needs to publish a fully funded workforce plan that includes concrete actions to train, recruit and retain the staff needed, improve staff wellbeing and create compassionate and inclusive workplace cultures that staff want to work in.’

Notes to editors

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The King's Fund is an independent charity working to improve health and care in England. We help to shape policy and practice through research and analysis; develop individuals, teams and organisations; promote understanding of the health and social care system; and bring people together to learn, share knowledge and debate. Our vision is that the best possible health and care is available to all.