I want to focus on two main things today which I have actually been meaning to include in the blog for the last couple of weeks, so I am overdue in giving them the attention they deserve.
The first is the 2024 National NHS Staff Survey, which is a critical piece of work for the Trust each year and I make no apology for mentioning the survey itself and then the subsequent results when we get them in Spring.
The second is also something I have covered before but remains equally important, which is Freedom To Speak Up and, in particular, the annual October awareness event which is Speak Up Month.
Now it is worth remembering that neither of these things are managed directly by the Trust – but both are inextricably linked to our success and whilst they might feel like areas more focused on colleagues, I will explain why they are so vital to the experience of our patients, their families and our partners too.
Starting with the Staff Survey, let me say thank you to each and every colleague who has already taken the time, amidst everything else going on across all settings and services in the Trust, to complete it. It is almost three weeks since it officially launched and I know we scrutinise the data regularly to see how many people have returned it and if there are any trends which will help us to get more to do the same.
It’s important here to remind all colleagues that the survey is completely anonymous – it is handled by an independent specialist organisation and at no point do we get to see or study what anyone has said in their responses.
But we do get information at team or divisional level which help us to track returns in the moment and, when we receive our results, to understand how experiences of colleagues differ in different parts of the organisation or professional groups.
For all of these reasons, the NHS Staff Survey – one of the largest of its kind in the world – provides a key performance indicator of staff experience and engagement, helping us to compare and learn for the benefit of everyone. It also helps us to track where things are improving or declining more locally so we can focus our improvement plans in the right place.
It goes without saying that we cannot understand any of this if people don’t fill it in and I know there are myriad ways we encourage, entice, incentivise and – yes – perhaps even cajole colleagues to share their experience, opinions and ideas. This is all done from a positive place – we simply want to hear from as many people as we can.
Last year, from a total of almost 10,000 colleagues, just under 4,400 completed their questionnaire, which is about 45 per cent and roughly about the same as other acute and community trusts - but it bothered me that this was less than in years before.
Of course, this deterioration in our response rate could be simply due to the relentless and unprecedented physical and emotional pressure we have faced as a team and which continues today with more patients than ever before seeking our care.
I know and sympathise with colleagues who find themselves with little time or headspace for surveys when there is so much else to do. But, still, it remains the case that we won’t make progress or improve things if we don’t know or give people the chance to share how it really feels to them.
For this reason, I am keen to reinforce the importance of the survey and ask people to please find five or 10 minutes to fill it in.
Within the results there are questions which relate directly to the NHS People Promise which is, again, a national programme of work which features nine areas of commitment to colleagues across the board in any of the hundreds of organisations that make up the whole.
They are around a compassionate and inclusive culture, reward and recognition, employee voice, being safe and healthy, learning, working flexibly, being a team, staff engagement and morale. I hope regular readers of the blog and colleagues who see me day in, day out will recognise that these are areas that I desperately want the Trust to get right.
Last year, we scored above average for seven out of the nine themes when compared with similar Trusts, which is really positive, but I know experiences are still varied.
In particular, we were below average for two – being a team and staff engagement – and whilst we’ve put lots of improvements in, I’m keen to know how they’ve landed with colleagues on the ground.
Two themes that received significantly higher scores compared to last year were reward and recognition and learning and, indulge me when I share that I was asked earlier this week to write a foreword for a leadership and management newsletter which focused on exactly these things.
I said this: I am a firm believer that reminding people of their value and openly appreciating their contribution is a critical component to the success of the Trust – and we should all practice this as managers, leaders or otherwise. It is one of the most powerful things a colleague can do.
At ELHT I am proud we do this in a variety of ways including through formal events and initiatives such as Colleague of the Month or the undeniable tonic which is our annual colleague recognition ceremony the Star Awards. But I am convinced equally of the value of a simple ‘thank you’ or a heartfelt ‘well done’ on a more informal basis and I would encourage everyone at ELHT to do it more. To practice the habit of recognising another and responding with gratitude can only enhance our culture for everyone – colleagues, our patients and their families too.
I also think ‘how’ someone does something or says something is often as impactful as ‘what’ is said or done and absolutely speaks to the experiences of patients at intense moments of need. This is never truer than when we need to find our voice not to praise someone but to raise an issue or concern – and this brings me to Freedom To Speak Up and October’s annual Speak Up Month.
For those who work outside of the NHS, Freedom To Speak Up (F2SU) is a national initiative which supports a team of independent ‘Guardians’ to help colleagues to raise anything they see or hear that makes them feel uncomfortable or – more critically – stops them from doing a good job.
It was borne out of concerns that people could find raising things locally, including with their own team or line manager, difficult and it offers assurance that if people speak up about anything at all they will be listened to and appropriate action will be taken.
This year’s Speak Up Month will follow the theme of ‘Listen Up’ and so it chimes with everything we are aiming to do at ELHT perfectly. Speaking up is valued here and imperative to so much that we hold dear in relation to providing safe, personal and effective care.
Throughout the month, ELHT’s amazing Guardians, Jane Butcher and Nicola Bamber, will be visiting Trust sites to meet people and raise awareness that they are here. If you see them in their distinctive green hoodies, please do have a chat to find out more, including how you can become a F2SU ambassador or raise any concerns of your own.
I want to end by saying that whilst I have focused on these important areas today, I never forget the vast amount of hard work that goes on each and every day to care for our patients, their families and each other in the most challenging of circumstances but inspiring of ways.
I know we have been incredibly busy this week with colleagues across our hospitals and in the community taking on extra to try and manage the ongoing and huge demand, which always begins in our urgent and emergency care pathways.
In amongst this it is easy to forget to celebrate who we are, all we have achieved and share our successes – never mind complete a survey or find a moment to check in and chat.
It is in this spirit I want to update that we hit our target to see everyone who had waited more than 65 weeks for treatment as planned last Monday – a magnificent effort from so many people right across the Trust and one that will make a huge different to those affected.
Please, remember, I remain beyond proud to be part of this organisation and everything we do to care for our patients and our families – and as important as surveys and data are – the truth is I will only ever need my own eyes and ears to recognise that.
Martin