National Happier Service!

Survey reveals local staff feel valued

HEALTH staff in Oldham are happier at work than last year, according to the latest NHS survey.

And NHS Oldham, including Oldham Community Health Services, was rated in the top 20 per cent of primary care trusts in over half of the 40 questions asked.

The survey is sent to almost 290,000 staff across all NHS trusts in October and November, and just over 65 per cent of Oldham staff responded.

A total of 84 per cent of those felt they were well-valued by their work colleagues, compared with 81 per cent nationally.

80 per cent were satisfied with the quality of work and patient care they delivered, compared with 73 per cent nationally.

And 57 per cent of respondents believed there were good opportunities to develop themselves further at work, compared with 48 per cent nationally. In terms of recommending NHS Oldham as a place to work, the trust scored 3.71 out of five, with five being the highest, compared with 3.53 nationally.

And NHS Oldham was rated among the highest in the country for providing good opportunities for people to develop their potential at work and providing job relevant training.

But improvements are needed in some areas such as staff appraisals as only half of respondents (53 per cent) have had a review in the past 12 months.

Gail Richards, chief executive of NHS Oldham, welcomed the results and said: “In the areas where we have done less well, such as in the number of staff receiving full appraisal, we are absolutely committed to ensuring that there is real improvement this year.

“I am extremely pleased that staff feel valued and are able to deliver the right level of patient care.”