Fewer NHS England staff are experiencing musculoskeletal problems, going into work despite feeling unwell, or feeling unwell as a result of work-related stress, the 2023 NHS staff survey found.
Each of the three measures NHS England uses to gauge the state of workers’ health and wellbeing improved in 2023.
The most notable improvement was seen in its measure of work-related stress. Forty-two per cent of NHS England staff who responded to the survey in autumn 2023 reported feeling unwell because of work-related stress in the previous 12 months, down from 44% in 2022 and the lowest proportion since 2019.
Stress in the NHS
Significant improvements in work-related stress scores were seen among registered nurses and midwives, nursing and healthcare assistants and ambulance operational staff.
Around 700,000 health workers responded to the latest NHS England staff survey, which is among the largest workforce surveys in the world.
Twenty-nine per cent of staff reported experiencing a musculoskeletal problem as a result of their work, down from 30% in 2022 and 31% in 2021.
But worryingly, more than half of staff (55%) said they had gone into work despite feeling too unwell to perform their duties in the three months preceding the survey. This was down from 57% in 2022.
Thirty per cent said they felt burnt out because of their work, down from 34% in 2022, and 34% found their work emotionally exhausting (2022: 37%).
Ambulance operational staff continue to report higher than average levels of burnout, the report revealed, but results have improved among this group and are down by nine percentage points since 2021.
Nearly 58% said their organisation takes positive action on health and wellbeing, a slight improvement on the 56.5% who said the same in 2022 and 57% in 2021.
The availability of healthy food options continues to be an issue in the NHS. Only 22% said they can always eat nutritious and affordable food while working. Five per cent said they never had access to nutritious food options and 13% said they rarely did.
Ruth Thorlby, assistant director of policy at the Health Foundation, said: “Today’s results show some glimmers of hope in the levels of stress and exhaustion experienced by NHS staff after a difficult few years, but suggest that staff morale is still in a precarious state in the face of persistent pressures.
Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance
Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday
“Only around one in three staff feel that there are enough staff to do their jobs properly, an improvement compared to last year, but the proportion of staff reporting being unwell due to work related stress is still higher than before the pandemic. Worryingly, discrimination from managers, colleagues and the public remains a problem. Measures to ensure staff feel safe and supported must be a priority.”
