NHSSCOTLAND STAFF SURVEY 2013 National Report

2. Background

2.1 Survey Purpose

The National Staff Survey gives all NHSScotland staff the opportunity to provide feedback on their experience of working for the organisation. The results are used to identify areas where things are going well and potential areas for improvement, to monitor trends and to assess organisational performance against the five key elements of the Staff Governance Standard.

The findings from the NHSScotland Staff Survey are used by a range of stakeholders. These include: individual NHS Boards, the Scottish Government and partnership groups such as the Scottish Partnership Forum (SPF) and the Scottish Workforce and Staff Governance (SWAG) Committee: for further information see the NHSScotland Staff Governance website.

2.2 Policy context

Each NHS Board in Scotland must operate within the NHSScotland Governance Framework. Staff Governance is a key and integral part of this Framework and focuses on how NHSScotland staff are managed and feel they are managed. The commitment to Staff Governance was reinforced within the NHS Reform (Scotland) Act 2004 and implemented through the introduction of the Staff Governance Standard.

The Staff Governance Standard (fourth edition)^[3] was published in June 2012. It was developed to take into account recent developments within NHS Scotland. Key amongst these were The Healthcare Quality Strategy for NHSScotland (the Quality Strategy)^[4] , the Patient Rights (Scotland) Act 2011^[5] and Achieving Sustainable Quality in Scotland's Healthcare - a 20:20 Vision^[6].

In June 2013, The 2020 Workforce Vision "Everyone Matters"^[7] was launched by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing. The Workforce Vision supports the 2020 Vision for Healthcare in Scotland and makes a commitment to valuing the workforce. Reflecting the views of 10,000 staff, it captures the changes that will be made to how NHSScotland staff work and the work they do. An 'Implementation Framework and Implementation Plan for 2014/15' will be published by the end of 2013 and the implementation of the Staff Governance Standard will form an integral part of this.

The Staff Governance Standard sets out what employers must do to develop and manage their staff. It recognises that a motivated and engaged workforce leads to better organisational performance and an enhanced quality of service to patients. The revised Standard describes what staff can expect from their Boards, but also the corresponding staff responsibilities.

The Staff Governance Standard requires all Boards to demonstrate that staff are:

1. well informed;

2. appropriately trained and developed;

3. involved in decisions;

4. treated fairly and consistently, with dignity and respect, in an environment where diversity is valued; and

5. provided with a continuously improving and safe working environment, promoting the health and wellbeing of staff, patients and the wider community.

The results presented in this report are set out according to these five elements of the Standard, along with findings relating to the overall experience of working for NHSScotland.