Securing the NHS workforce for the future: our recommendations for action - King's Fund Report

Extract from article:

Start with a focus on health and wellbeing and addressing the core needs of staff

First and foremost, the focus must be on improving staff experience, which among other things requires managers who are well-trained and supported at all levels of the system.There has long been an established linkbetween staff experience in the NHS and the quality of care and patient experience. But the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, coupled with ongoing operational pressures, has impacted the capacity of health and care staff to manage all the challenging aspects of their roles effectively. This has led to a reduction in resilience and health and wellbeing across the workforce, with accompanying high levels of burnout, which in turn impacts productivity and patient care. Morale is low and sickness rates are high. Staff report experiencing racism and harassment, and there continues to be high vacancy and turnover rates.

Indicators of staff health and wellbeing, including sickness absence rates, reported risk of burnout and self-reported stress, have all worsened in recent years. In the 2024NHS Staff Survey, 42% of staff report feeling unwell as a result of work-related stress in the past 12 months, and 30% 'often' or 'always' feel burnt out because of their work.

Levels of discrimination experienced by NHS staff remain persistently high, withover one quarter of staff(25%) experiencing at least one incident of harassment, bullying or abuse in the past year.

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