NHS staff survey results published

Published: 30 March 2022

The results of last year’s NHS staff survey are released today and Torbay and South Devon fares better than, or in line with, the national average in virtually all areas.

Feedback provided by staff showed they feel our organisation is compassionate and inclusive and there is a strong sense of teamwork. Another positive headline is the reduction in the number of staff reporting bullying or harassment on the grounds of race, which was the focus of targeted action following concerns raised in last year’s survey.

Almost half of the 6,000 workforce took part in the survey, giving executives a really good insight into how staff feel about Torbay and South Devon as a place to work. The challenge of living through almost two years of a pandemic has taken its toll, as Chief Executive, Liz Davenport, explains:

“I would like to thank all those staff who found the time to share their experiences with us through the 2021 staff survey. It gives us a really good temperature check of how our staff are feeling, and what the national picture is. What I value most as chief executive from the annual staff survey is not the opportunity to celebrate what we do well – though of course we will do that! Rather, I appreciate the insight we gain as a leadership team into what issues our people are experiencing and what we need to do to help improve the working environment for them. Acting on feedback is what drives improvement.

“This year, right across the country, it is clear what a huge impact COVID-19 is having on NHS staff, and we are no exception. Our people have told us they feel there have not always been enough staff on duty to provide our usual high standard of care. This has impacted on how people feel about coming to work and many of them have experienced stress, fatigue and burnout. We know, too, that this was picked up by CQC inspectors when they visited us for a targeted inspection and we are addressing this, through recruiting more staff, creating development opportunities and new roles and focussing on our people’s wellbeing at work.

“COVID-19 is still very much with us, and we currently have more people with COVID-19 in our hospitals than at any time during the previous two years. So, there is not going to be a quick or easy fix. But we are focussed on providing the best care we possibly can and progressing our COVID-19 ‘recovery’ plan, so that we can re-open our day surgery unit and see more of the people who have been waiting such a long time for diagnosis and treatment.

“Finally, I would like to again pay tribute to our staff. Their commitment, teamwork and passion are exceptional and have helped us all to keep going through a period of extraordinary challenges.”

The results of the national NHS staff survey are available at: https://www.nhsstaffsurveys.com/results/