Shrewsbury and Telford hospital staff still worried about speaking out over unsafe practice

The results of the yearly NHS staff surveys across the country have been published – including for Shrewsbury & Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH).

The trust manages both Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and Princess Royal Hospital in Telford.

It has been under considerable pressure in recent months, and has been affected by a number of major issues over recent years.

The results of the latest survey – for 2022 – show that more than a third of staff who took part were not prepared to say they "would feel secure raising concerns about unsafe clinical practice".

A total of 64.8 per cent of respondents agreed with the statement – but 35.2 per cent did not.

The result is a slight worsening of the findings of the 2021 survey, where 67.4 per cent agreed with the statement, and 32.6 per cent did not.

The latest result also comes from a larger sample size, with 3,359 responses, compared to 2,987 in 2021, and follows a concerted 'freedom to speak up' campaign launched by the trust to tackle the issue.

Less than half of those responding said they were confident the trust would address concerns if they were raised.

Just 44.9 per cent of 3,353 respondents said they were confident – again a fall from the 2021 figure of 46.4 per cent.

Both figures are below the average across the NHS – and are significantly lower than the leading trusts.

The issue of staff feeling free to raise concerns has been key for the trust since it was highlighted as part of the damning Ockenden report, which investigated major failings in maternity care at the hospitals.

Louise Barnett, Chief Executive of SaTH, said that there had been improvement in a number of areas – but that concerns raised in the survey were taken seriously.

She added that they looked to provide more ways for staff to raise concerns – but would be doing more to address the issue.

She said: “We welcome today’s survey report and the opportunity to act on the feedback staff have shared with us. We are pleased to have seen improvement across many areas of the NHS People Promise and we are committed to delivering further improvements.

“We take any concerns raised by staff very seriously. Following feedback from staff we have invested in additional routes for concerns to be reported, listened to and importantly acted upon. We recognise there is more to do and will be working with staff across the Trust to understand how we can best support them further and to continue our work to create a safe environment for concerns to be raised.

“We want to make our Trust a great place to work and receive care for everyone. We know it will take time to improve our organisational culture, but we remain absolutely committed to making SaTH a better place to work.”

There has been an increase in the number of staff who said they would recommend the trust as a place to work, with 41.4 per cent agreeing with the statement.

That is up from 40.5 per cent in 2021, but is lower than the average of 56.5 per cent, and the best of 75.2 per cent.

But the number of staff who said they would be happy with the care provided if a relative needed treatment also fell.

Only 39.2 per cent agreed – a drop from 43.5 per cent in 2021.

There has however been improvement in employees experiences with managers.

The number saying managers cared about their concerns, and would take effective action to help with any problems, were up from 60.5 per cent to 63.9 per cent, and 56.2 to 60 per cent respectively.

There has also been an improvement in scores on the 'NHS People Promise', which asks staff to a number of areas, such as 'we are compassionate and inclusive', 'we are recognised and rewarded', 'we each have a voice that counts', 'we are safe and healthy', 'we are always learning', 'we work flexibly', 'we are a team', and 'staff engagement' and 'morale'.

The trust has faced multiple issues and has been in special measures for nearly five years.

It have been trying to proceed with the 'Future Fit' hospitals transformation programme, which it says would result in significant improvements in care, services, and working environment for staff.

The plans have faced repeated delays but have now progressed to their furthest point, with trust management hopeful of further progress this year – with physical redevelopment work potentially starting next year.

In response, Louise Barnett, Chief Executive at SaTH, said she was committed to making sure staff feel able to raise concerns.

Ms Barnett said that the trust has worked to provide more ways for staff to raise concerns, but would be doing more to support workers.

"We welcome today’s survey report and the opportunity to act on the feedback staff have shared with us. We are pleased to have seen improvement across many areas of the NHS People Promise and we are committed to delivering further improvements," she said.

“We take any concerns raised by staff very seriously. Following feedback from staff we have invested in additional routes for concerns to be reported, listened to and importantly acted upon. We recognise there is more to do and will be working with staff across the Trust to understand how we can best support them further and to continue our work to create a safe environment for concerns to be raised.

“We want to make our Trust a great place to work and receive care for everyone. We know it will take time to improve our organisational culture, but we remain absolutely committed to making SaTH a better place to work.”

The survey saw an improvement in scores on the 'NHS People Promise', which asks staff to a number of areas, such as 'we are compassionate and inclusive', 'we are recognised and rewarded', 'we each have a voice that counts', 'we are safe and healthy', 'we are always learning', 'we work flexibly', 'we are a team', and 'staff engagement' and 'morale'.