Dorset County Hospital (DCH) is found to be above average in improving staff experience, wellbeing and health.

It has been a tough two years at DCH and staff remain under immense pressure as they continue to deal with the impact of Covid and recover services.

DCH's commitment to improving staff experience, health and wellbeing is reflected in the latest NHS National Staff Survey results.

The annual survey provides and insight into the working environment and staff experiences with the NHS trust and DCH scored higher than the national average.

The survey was undertaken between September and December 2021 and a total of 1,517 DCH staff responded, representing 47 per cent of the workforce.

In the survey, 74 per cent of respondents said they were offered challenging work, 71 per cent have opportunities to improve knowledge and skills and 57 per cent felt supported to develop their potential.

Furthermore, 85 per cent said they enjoy working with their colleagues, 70 per cent feel valued by their team and 66 per cent feel a strong personal attachment to their team.

The survey also highlighted that 75 per cent think that the organisation respects individual differences - cultures, working styles, backgrounds, ideas etc - eight per cent higher than the national comparator.

The trust equalled the national comparator with 21 per cent of staff saying they find work emotionally exhausting and 16 per cent saying they feel worn out at the end of their shift.

Dawn Harvey, chief people officer at DCH, said: "The past two years have been incredibly challenging for our staff and we can't underestimate the ongoing impact of the pandemic on staffing levels and staff health and wellbeing.

"Putting our people first to make DCH a great place to work and receive care is the foundation our trust strategy. A major focus for the hospital over the last 18 months has been on inclusion and wellbeing to ensure all staff have a positive experience at work, and this will continue this year.

"It is heartening to see survey answers relating to teamwork, kindness, equal opportunities and support for health and wellbeing ranking above the national trend.

"The survey also demonstrates improvements in the experience of disabled staff and those from minority ethnic groups, yet experience remains less positive than other groups of staff. We need to celebrate the progress made and remain focused on our improvement plans, working closely with our staff networks to deliver a great staff experience for all of team DCH to support the delivery of outstanding care for the people of Dorset."

The full survey results can be found here.

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