What matters to staff

Thousands of staff in a range of NHS settings have contributed to Department of Health research on what matters most to them in their work. This summary outlines the ten factors that matter most and the work NHS Employers is doing in this area.

What Matters to Staff

The Department of Health has published a comprehensive report, What Matters to Staff in the NHS based on extensive research commissioned from Mori. NHS Employers said the report strengthens the case for effective staff engagement and adds impetus to the range of initiatives already in place aiming to improve the experience of staff working in the NHS. Identifying and acting on what matters to staff is an issue that many NHS employers locally already see as a priority.

The qualitative and quantitative research came up with ten factors that have been grouped into four themes.

Theme 1: The resources to deliver quality care for patients

• I've got the knowledge, skills and equipment to do a good job.
• I feel fairly treated with pay, benefits and staff facilities.

Theme 2: The support I need to do a good job

• I feel trusted, listened to and valued at work.
• My manager supports me when I need it.
• Senior managers are involved with our work.

Theme 3: A worthwhile job with the chance to develop

• I have a worthwhile job that makes a difference to patients.
• I help provide high quality patient care.
• I have the opportunity to develop my potential.
• I understand my role and where it fits in.

Theme 4: The opportunity to improve the way we work

• I am able to improve the way we work in my team.

Staff were also asked to rank how well they felt their organisation was performing against each of the factors. Staff were most positive about having a worthwhile job and feeling trusted, listened to and much less likely to feel that senior managers were involved in their work or to feel fairly treated with pay, benefits and facilities.

The ten factors have also been mapped against key outcomes of patient and public satisfaction with the NHS, staff advocacy of the NHS and motivation to provide high quality patient care.

Where staff work and the extent of patient contact in the job was found to be important - for example general practice staff feel valued and motivated but are more critical about the NHS overall, nurses, doctors and AHPs feel positive about their team but less so about the NHS as a whole. Managers and newer members of staff are more likely to be advocates of their employer and the NHS than other groups.

The factors on which the report concludes the NHS is delivering less well and needs to improve are:

• I understand my role and where it fits in
• Senior managers are involved with our work
• I have the opportunity to develop my potential.

Those that need to be celebrated and maintained:

• I've got a worthwhile job that makes a difference to patients
• I feel trusted, listened to and valued at work
• I am able to improve the way we work in my team.

See our response to the research in the media centre.