Translate
The staff survey identifies areas where our trust is performing well and where improvements need to be made, providing a valuable snapshot of what it’s like to work at the Royal Free London (RFL).
More than 6,600 staff completed the 2023 survey – at 57% of the workforce, that’s 11% higher than the previous year, 12% higher than the national average, and the first time our trust has reached this milestone since the survey began.
The results of the survey are measured against the seven NHS People Promises and two additional themes (staff engagement and morale), and benchmarked against other acute and community trusts in England.
What we're doing well
We scored above the national average in the following core areas:
- Staff engagement – we scored 6.96 in this area which is an improvement on the previous two years (national average is 6.91). This theme includes questions on motivation, involvement and advocacy.
- We are a team – the trust scored 6.79 which is the highest we have achieved in this area so far (national average is 6.75). This category includes questions on team working and line management and whether staff feel like they can learn from and support each other.
- We are always learning – we scored 5.79 in this area which includes questions about opportunities to learn and develop at the RFL and whether colleagues feel supported to reach their potential (national average is 5.61).
We’ve also made progress in appraisals and learning; feedback on reported errors, near misses, and incidents; compassionate culture and leadership; reward and recognition; health and safety; and staffing/recruitment.
A total of 65.09% of staff said they would recommend the RFL as a place to work, which is a 5% improvement from last year (the national average is 60.52%).
Also, 69% of colleagues recommended the trust as a place to be treated, which is a 3% improvement from last year (the national average is 63.32%).
What's next?
Following the results of the survey, we will be taking steps to act on our colleagues' feedback and improve their experience of working at the RFL.
This includes identifying areas that performed particularly well and encouraging the sharing of best practice across the organisation.
RFL group chief executive Peter Landstrom said: "It’s great that we have heard from more of our staff than ever in the latest annual NHS staff survey. This is not about hitting a percentage; it’s genuinely wanting to hear from as many of our staff as possible, ensuring feedback reflects the experience of everyone who works at the trust.
"There are some really clear messages in this year’s results. Colleagues feel like there are more staff around and some of the big vacancy gaps have improved. We also know that staff are feeling like they can contribute to the organisation and feel supported to reach their potential.
"While we can be proud of this progress, there’s still important work to do in other areas. We will focus our efforts on these areas going forward, and build on the initiatives already underway."
