45 per cent of Black Country and Staffordshire hospital staff felt ill due to stress last year - survey

The annual NHS staff survey has revealed the toll of the Covid-19 crisis on staff at trusts across England, who faced huge pressures as hospital admissions surged.

At trusts across the Black Country and Staffordshire, 45 per cent of staff who responded to the 2020 survey said they had felt unwell in the past 12 months as a result of work-related stress up from 42 per cent a year earlier.

It reflected the picture across England as a whole, where 44 per cent of NHS staff said they had been unwell due to work-related stress last year, compared to 40 per cent the year before.

Helen Buckingham, director of strategy at the Nuffield Trust health think tank, said the survey reveals "the astonishing resilience of the NHS".

Findings also revealed that 50 per cent of staff at the trusts said they had gone to work in the previous three months despite not feeling well enough to perform their duties, a drop from 59 per cent.

People have been urged to stay at home and isolate if they fall ill during the pandemic in case they have the coronavirus.

Only around 31 per cent of staff said they feel their organisation takes positive action on health and well-being, although that was up from 28 per cent the year before.

Some 14,500 employees at the region's trusts gave feedback for the NHS Staff Survey 2020, which was carried out between September and December last year.

Prerana Issar, chief people officer for the NHS, said there needs to be a sustained focus on healthcare workers’ physical and mental health.

"Given the high level of work-related stress for staff caused by the pandemic, we need to maintain our focus on health and wellbeing and give them the support they need during recovery to help us to maintain care for patients," she said.

The survey also reveals 18 per cent of staff are considering leaving the NHS – that includes people considering retiring or taking a career break and those considering moving to a job outside healthcare, or in healthcare but outside the NHS.

And the proportion of staff who are satisfied with their pay fell slightly to 39 per cent last year, from 40 per cent in 2019.

The survey was carried out before the Government sparked a backlash by announcing a proposed one per cent pay rise for NHS staff.

Ms Buckingham said Covid-19 has hit certain parts of the NHS workforce more than others.

She added: "Below the headlines there are troubling signs for vital groups, even in a survey conducted between waves of the pandemic.

"Worryingly, as a row over pay intensifies, nurses have seen the sharpest fall in satisfaction with their salaries, dropping from 36 per cent to 33 per cent.

"These aren't encouraging results for the drive to grow nursing numbers by 50,000 which is both a Government promise and a frontline necessity."

Hospital trusts respond

Ro Vaughan, University Hospitals of North Midlands

University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust runs County Hospital in Stafford and Royal Stoke University Hospital. Ms Vaughan is the trust's director of human resources.

“Preserving and protecting the health, safety and wellbeing of staff has been our priority since the start of the pandemic.

“We recognise that our staff have worked tirelessly for the last 12 months and it is essential that we continuously support their physical and mental wellbeing, enabling them to stay healthy and protect themselves, their colleagues, patients and families as we continue to deliver services through this challenging period.

“During the last fortnight we have given staff an opportunity to get together in teams and divisions to rest, reflect and start to recover but we know this will be a long process and will ensure our comprehensive package of wellbeing support such as staff counselling and psychological support is available all year round.”

Alan Duffell, Royal Wolverhampton

Mr Duffell is chief people officer at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, which runs New Cross Hospital.

“We are extremely proud of how our staff have worked above and beyond, rising to the unprecedented challenges of the past year.

“To support our staff throughout the pandemic we have been providing a comprehensive package of support around mental and physical health and wellbeing.

“Focusing on the health and wellbeing of our staff going forward continues to be a main priority.”

Frieza Mahmood, Sandwell and West Birmingham

The Sandwell and West Birmingham trust runs Sandwell General Hospital and City Hospital. Ms Mahmood is the trust's chief people officer.

“We recognise that healthcare can be challenging and our Trust has long invested in the wellbeing of all staff.

“The pandemic has impacted considerably on our people’s wellbeing. Every colleague has completed a Covid-19 risk assessment so that adjustments can be made to keep them safe at work. We also encourage all employees to complete mental wellbeing assessments to ensure they well supported. We have invested in additional mental health training for staff and continue to enable colleagues to access confidential counselling 24/7 and specialist psychological support. We have set up a wellbeing sanctuary which allows colleagues the chance to de-stress and relax in a confidential safe place. It has continued operating throughout the pandemic with social distancing measures, PPE and sanitisation provided on site.

“Before the pandemic we installed relaxation pods where staff could take time out to recharge and recuperate whilst at work.

“It’s critical that we encourage and empower every one of our staff to speak up and to be heard. The staff survey has given us a unique opportunity to look at how we have been supporting staff during one of the most trying times in the history of the NHS and it is encouraging that the response for taking positive action on health and wellbeing has improved.”

Catherine Griffiths, Walsall Healthcare

Ms Griffiths is the director of people and culture at Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust, which runs Walsall Manor Hospital.

“The past year has been an incredibly challenging year for all NHS staff and here at Walsall Healthcare our colleagues have been working in one of the areas most affected by Covid cases and hospitalisations.

“Their health and wellbeing is an absolute priority, and we’ve been working hard to put the right support in place for them. It is important that our staff have time within their working hours to recover from this unprecedented period which has affected them both professionally and personally.

“We have a range of initiatives which include providing spaces such as the Haven and Project Wingman lounge for staff to unwind and de-stress, free specialist psychological support, focus groups to support those who have had Covid and those who are shielding or self-isolating, facilitated discussions for staff across a number of areas and services and enhanced access to mental health services.

“We know that there’s even more we can do to ensure that staff get the support they need at the time they most need it, which is why we are refocusing efforts and resource on our 'Valuing our colleagues' programme - an extensive, executive-led three year strategy combining a number of projects to support them to experience an outstanding workplace which will, in turn, enable them to be able to deliver outstanding care to our patients.

“We have also just started working with Black Country Partnership NHS Foundation Trust to deliver the first of two day support and wellbeing days to allow critical care unit staff to start to recover from the pandemic. Further days will be made available for community and additional acute staff.

“Our health and wellbeing steering group, chaired by a non-executive director, has been set up to escalate and unblock problems that are getting in the way of staff wellbeing and our in house occupational health and wellbeing services have been expanded in the last 12 months. We are proud that we have 14 mental health first-aiders, a point of contact if someone is experiencing a mental health issue, or emotional distress and 32 mental health first-aid champions.

“The trust is mindful of the huge range of concerns that may trouble staff who have been involved in the pandemic and is always willing to consider additional support for specific areas of concern or to take onboard staff suggestions on how to improve what is already being offered. We would once again like to thank all our staff for their phenomenal contribution during this challenging period.”