Trust named Midlands’ best to work for by staff for sixth year running

The results of the annual NHS National Staff Survey that were announced on Thursday 7 March, revealed that 74.45% of Trust staff recommended the organisation as a place to work.

That result places the Trust third among all NHS organisations nationally as a place where staff recommend working.

The overall scores for the Trust – which manages the local King’s Mill, Newark and Mansfield Community Hospitals – also named it as the best nationally for:

• Staff morale (rated 6.52 out of 10 by Trust staff)
• Engagement, which is based on a number of factors around motivation, involvement and advocacy for the Trust’s work (7.32 out of 10)
• Staff feeling able to access the right learning and development opportunities when they need them, with 70.1% of staff agreeing.
• Teams having freedom in how to do their work (66.2%)
• Staff feeling that their work is valued by the organisation (40.7%).

77.88% of Trust staff also agreed that they would be happy with the standard of care provided at the Trust if a friend or relative needed treatment.

More than 3,500 members (62%) of the Trust’s workforce responded, which is the most staff who have ever engaged with the survey in the Trust’s history.

While there are some areas that need improvement, overall the scores are extremely positive and show that the Trust has been able to maintain stability during a challenging period for the NHS nationally.

The Trust’s Chief Executive, Paul Robinson, said: “I am delighted to see that questions relating to job satisfaction are at the highest they have been for five years and I am so grateful to staff for all their efforts over another challenging year.

“These results are an important indicator for us and I am glad that colleagues recognise the incredible impact they have on our patients and our local communities.

“It is testament to the work that is being done to improve colleague experience within the Trust, cementing our position as one of the best Trusts to work for in the country. I want to thank each colleague who took the time to add their voice to this survey.”

While feedback shows that bullying and harassment from colleagues, patients and the public is still an ongoing issue, the scores are the lowest they have been for the past five years, which shows that the work being put in to improve this area for colleagues is having an impact.

The Trust’s Director of People, Rob Simcox, said: “The results of this year’s National Staff Survey for Sherwood Forest Hospitals are a great achievement for everyone across our Trust.

“We are proud to have retained our crown as the best NHS acute trust in the Midlands to work at for the sixth year running, as voted for by our staff.

“We know that there is always work to do and by engaging with our colleagues, patients, service users and other partners, we know we can make improvements that will ensure that we can continue to improve the experience of our colleagues here at Sherwood.”

If you are interested in joining Sherwood Forest Hospitals, please check the Trust’s latest job vacancies online at www.sfh-tr.nhs.uk/work-for-us or follow ‘Sherwood Forest Hospitals – careers’ on Facebook.