Nine out of ten NHS staff think their role makes a difference, states a survey carried out by NHS Employers.
NHS England published the results of the 2013 NHS staff survey today. It showed that 90.2 per cent of staff said their role affects patients and almost two thirds of staff would recommend their organisation to friends and family needing treatment.
The results from the 203,000 staff that took part showed improvements in 21 out 28 categories when compared with the previous year.
Sue Colvill, the director of employment services for NHS Employers said that employers would be encouraged by these results after a challenging year for the NHS.
Other results included that 77.8 per cent of staff are satisfied with the quality of work and patient care they were able to deliver, which was an increase of 0.2 per cent since 2012. The percentage of staff receiving an appraisal increased to 84.3 per cent, a 1.2 per cent increase from 2012 and 18.3 per cent increase since 2007.
Almost seven out of ten staff said that in their role they were able to contribute improvements to the organisation; an increase of 0.5 per cent since 2012.
Ms Colvill said that it was telling that after all the negativity of the NHS during the past year, over 90 per cent of staff said their role made a difference to patients, with almost seven out of ten able to make a positive difference to service improvements.
‘We are also pleased that employers have worked hard to create a climate where staff feel able to raise concerns. It's been over a year since the Francis Report was published, so it is encouraging that staff have confidence in reporting their concerns and know how to do so.
‘However, some tough issues remain and employers will be working with their staff to review their local survey results and to focus on further improvements. In particular, abuse and harassment of staff from patients and the public is a concern and more needs to be done to protect staff,' she added.