The East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust runs following Hospitals in Kent; Kent & Canterbury Hospital, William Harvey Hospital in Ashford, Queen Elizabeth Queen Mary Hospital in Margate (QEQM), Buckland Hospital in Dover and Royal Victoria Hospital in Folkestone.
A recent survey of the Trust’s 3,696 employees reveals them to be some of the most dissatisfied NHS staff in the country.
The statistics are stark:
- 75% of employees are working more than their contracted hours.
- 45% report feeling unwell due to work-related stress.
- 57% of staff felt under pressure to go to work despite feeling unwell.
- 32% report witnessing potentially harmful errors, near-misses and incidents at work.
Sandra Le Blanc, Head of Human Resources at the Trust, concedes: ‘Our results are so poor it puts us virtually at the bottom of all acute trusts in England’ ; she seeks to argue however that the results can be put down to the level of change the Trust has undergone this year, namely the closure of Kent and Canterbury Hospitals acute ward and the movement of the majority of staff to William Harvey and the QEQM.
The relationship between staff and management is also extremely concerning with one third of staff believing their bosses are not putting patient care first. In addition only 28% report good communication between senior management and staff.
In response to the survey the Trust’s Chairman, Professor Stephen Smith, has said ‘The message from our staff is being heard loud and clear. We must do something about it. We cannot continue with this level of staff satisfaction’.
The full results of the survey can be found here:
http://www.nhsstaffsurveys.com/Caches/Files/NHS_staff_survey_2017_RVV_full.pdf
Francesca Beach, Solicitor at Fairweathers Solicitors LLP, commented: – ‘The statistics are extremely revealing about the reality of working in an NHS Hospital in East Kent. NHS staff are some of the most hardworking in the country and yet they continue to be let down by management. Unless staff are given the support they so desperately require, patient safety and satisfaction will continue to decline. We can only hope that management will respond to this display of dissatisfaction in a helpful and comprehensive manner.’
If you or a member of your family has suffered as a result of negligence on the part of a health professional then please do not hesitate to phone us free on 0800 999 5585, request a call back or submit your case details.