Supporting healthcare staff

Healthcare staff have high sickness absence rates and are highly stressed

The NHS employs 1.3 million people and sickness absence costs the NHS around £2.4bn each year

Jocelyn Cornwell and Jenny Firth-Cozens King's Fund 01 April 2009 Paper

High sickness absence is linked to high patient mortality

Trusts with high levels of patient mortality found that these trusts tended to have high rates of sickness absence, particularly among doctors and nurses

Professor Sir Bruce Keogh NHS England 16 July 2013 Report

Engaged staff are significantly less likely to make mistakes

Research shows that doctors and nurses who are engaged make fewer mistakes and that organisations with high engagement are safer for patients

Royal College of Physicians 12 October 2015 Report

Staff experience has a direct impact on patients' experience

Research shows that staff affect and wellbeing are the antecedent to patients’ experience i.e. that staff experience impacts on patients’ experience rather than the other way round

Maben et al National Institute for Health Research 01 November 2012 Paper

Depression and burnout cause staff to withdraw emotionally

Psychology research shows that with depression in particular, people withdraw, perhaps for their own emotional protection. Burnout is at the extreme end of stress, leading to a lowered sense of personal effectiveness, emotional exhaustion, and depersonalisation

Penny Campling The Psychiatric Bulletin 02 February 2015 Paper

Targets and regulation create a damaging environment in healthcare organisations

The NHS is dominated by a pacesetting style of leadership which can have an impact on staff sense of control. A good management style can have a positive effect on staff wellbeing

Michael West, Katy Steward, Regina Eckert and Bill Pasmore King's Fund 21 May 2014 Report