Less than a third of NHS staff satisfied with pay
Only 31% of NHS staff were satisfied with their level of pay in 2017, down from 37% in 2016, according to the latest official annual survey by NHS England. Almost 60% report working additional unpaid hours and 38% said they had been unwell due to work-related stress in the 12 months preceding the survey.
- Staff are generally reporting lower satisfaction with the quality of work and care they are able to deliver and only 68% say their immediate manager takes an interest in their health and wellbeing.
- Over the past five years, there has been a steady improvement in the proportion of NHS staff reporting annual appraisals, but there is significant variation across trust types, for example, 91% of staff in community trusts report being appraised compared with only 78% of those working in ambulance trusts.
- The quality of appraisals, as judged by staff, has increased slightly in the latest survey, with those performed by mental health/learning disability trusts being the best and those in ambulance trusts the worst.
- Out of 32 key measures of staff satisfaction, 21 have worsened and 11 have improved in 2017.
Danny Mortimer, Chief Executive of NHS Employers, described the results of the latest staff survey as ‘challenging’, adding that they show staff cannot absorb further work pressures and that investment is needed in health and social care services.
He added:
‘Employers in the NHS have been anticipating worsening results from this most recent survey and sadly their concerns have been reflected in the outcome.’
