NHS staff survey: Positive improvements but worrying trends on staff wellbeing remain

Responding to the NHS staff survey 2024, Nuffield Trust Senior Fellow Dr Billy Palmer said:

“The NHS staff survey is an important litmus test for how the workforce is feeling – at a time when there is little good news nationally about the health service, it is encouraging that we are starting to see some signs of things improving for staff.

“Efforts to increase the number of staff working in the health service in recent years have yielded some positive results. In the two years to November 2024, the number of people working across general practice, community and hospital NHS services increased by 140,000, and this is reflected in the big increase in workers saying there are enough staff at their organisation for them to do their job properly (34% compared to 26% in 2022). As NHS leaders are asked to reduce staffing levels in response to financial pressures, time will tell if this positive trend remains.

“There have also been improvements in people saying their organisation supports their work-life balance. But the survey reveals some other concerning results around wellbeing, which come as no surprise. The latest figure for sickness absence across NHS staff, for October 2024, was 18% higher than the same month pre-pandemic, with over a quarter of these days lost to sickness relating to anxiety, stress and mental health issues. While the proportion of staff reporting feeling unwell as a result of work-related stress is lower than in the pandemic (42% in 2024 compared to 47% in 2021), it still remains worryingly high and there is a risk this is being normalised.

“The modest improvements seen today do not detract from the scale of the challenge the government faces to build and retain a workforce fit for the future. Our analysis of staff surveys revealed a widening gulf in job satisfaction between the NHS’s youngest and oldest staff over the past decade. The future of the health service depends on these workers, so the survey results are a stark reminder of why policy action to improve retention and morale, especially for those early in their careers, is so crucial.”