Blog post

Staff positivity box

Staff on ward 23 at Milton Keynes University Hospital (MKUH) share how they came up with the idea of creating a staff positivity box.

21 June 2021

Authors

  • Paige Giltrow Senior Sister, Milton Keynes University Hospital
  • Chloe Bass Deputy Ward Manager, Milton Keynes University Hospital

Paige Giltrow, senior sister and Chloe Bass, deputy ward manager on ward 23 at Milton Keynes University Hospital (MKUH) talk about the launch of a staff positivity box.

At our trust we have lots of ways for people to feedback on our work, including the Friends and Family Test and GREATix. We wanted to create a really easy and quick way for staff, visitors and patients to leave comments and positive feedback for staff. 

We decided on a staff positivity box and launched it on the ward in March 2021. It has received a great response so far. Since it was launched we have received around 40 comment slips a month. The box has helped colleagues to express gratitude in a way they might not have been comfortable doing face-to-face.

We display all the comments on a board so staff, patients, and visitors can read them. Our senior nursing team then selects one deserving recipient as a winner each month and they receive a prize from the team. It has really helped to boost staff morale.

It was such a simple idea and when we posted about it on Twitter so many people wanted to know more.

It has been a really hard 12 months dealing with COVID-19, the way the team has supported one another has been amazing. Now we’re seeing fewer COVID cases and are getting back to something that looks like normal, it felt like the right time to introduce the box.

When you read some of these comments and it can make you quite emotional. Sometimes it’s hard for a colleague or a patient to say all the things they want to say to a person, so the slips have been a great way for people to convey all the nice things they want to say to one another. Even a simple thank you goes a very long way.

The box is here to stay on the nurse’s station, and as we re-introduce visiting in the coming weeks, we look forward to receiving even more positive comments to share with the team.