The results of the 2017 NHS Staff Survey have been released by NHS England today.

487,227 NHS staff took part in the survey which equates to a response rate of 45 per cent and makes it the largest employee opinion survey in the world.
The results are challenging and show a service under strain. Staff report that they are working under more pressure and feel less able to deliver a good quality service. They feel less enthusiastic about their jobs and more dissatisfied with their pay. Across a range of indicators they report worse experience than in 2016 although scores are still higher than in 2014.  Some progress has been made in areas such as increased support from managers and more confidence that the organisation takes action on health and wellbeing. 
NHS Employers will be reviewing the results and developing its work programmes to support employers to take action on the issues raised. You can find our initial analysis on our web page.
In the face of unprecedented pressures many NHS organisations have continued to make progress. However, the results raise issues over workload, staffing and expectations of the NHS. There is also a continuing need to improve people management and provide support in areas such as health and wellbeing and staff engagement. NHS Employers is calling for urgent action to ensure the NHS can meet rising demands without placing unsustainable strain on staff. 
NHS Employers chief executive Danny Mortimer said: “Employers in the NHS have been anticipating worsening results from this most recent survey and sadly their concerns have been reflected in the outcome. 
“The country needs to take these challenging results seriously. We cannot expect staff to absorb additional work pressures year on year without it having an adverse effect on their experience of work.  A long-term solution to sustainable investment in the NHS – and other vital public services – is clearly required."
We will be sharing learning from those organisations that have seen progress at our Staff Survey event and in a forthcoming webinar. More information to follow in near future.
Full results on all questions and key findings and a detailed analysis of five year trends can be found on the NHS Staff Survey website

*Credits: NHS Employers

NHS England has published a new report looking into the links between levels of engagement in trusts, their sickness absence and increased spending on agency spend.
Employee engagement, sickness absence and agency spend reveals a clear connection between those organisations with higher levels of staff engagement and lower sickness absence rates. These trusts generally also have a lower spends on bank and agency spend.
NHS England commissioned the King’s Fund to produce the report which was written by Prof Mike West of the King's Fund and Prof Jeremy Dawson of University of Sheffield.
The independent research linked trust data from 2016/17 (and, for some measures, for the previous year), the NHS Staff Survey (employee engagement), NHS Digital (sickness absence), and NHS Improvement (agency and bank staff spend). Sickness absence rates vary more than two fold between NHS trusts, and there are also large variations in trusts’ staff engagement scores.
For more information, please take a look at the full report

A new national framework that sets out and defines the role of advanced clinical practitioners (ACPs) has been launched by Health Education England (HEE), in partnership with NHS Improvement and NHS England.

Drawing on existing practice, the new framework has been developed to ensure that there is consistency about what advanced level practice is. It includes the requirements for entry into the role, and defines the core capabilities with a recommended standard of education. This not only gives clarity to current and future ACPs, but also for other healthcare staff, employers and patients.

ACPs support existing and more established roles within multi-professional teams, and can help to provide and improve clinical continuity and access to high-quality care for patients. HEE expect the new resource will help to transform and promote team working across traditional professional boundaries and support the delivery of high quality healthcare for local people. 

The National Framework for Multi-Professional Advanced Clinical Practice is available to download. 

You can read more about Advanced Clinical Practice on our website.

NHS Employers has been working closely with the Department for Work and Pensions and NHS England to encourage trusts to migrate across to the new Disability Confident standard.   
The Disability Confident scheme supports employers to make the most of the talents that disabled people can bring to your workplace. The new standard is similar to the old 'two ticks' system, but asks employers to provide slightly different evidence of their commitment to employing people with a disability. 
Organisations commit to specific core actions to be a Disability Confident employer. This includes offering at least one activity to get the right people within their organisation; at least one activity to keep and develop staff and; undertaking and successfully completing the Disability Confident self assessment.
Trusts are encouraged to acquire the new Disability Confident standard as soon as possible as in readiness for the forthcoming Workforce Disability Equality Standard. 
As part of the Disability Confident campaign the DWP has also produced a range of promotional materials for employers and stakeholders to use on their internal communications, on their websites and to share with their customers and networks.
For more details on the scheme, got to the Disability Confident website

Take a look at our infographic exploring the different routes into nursing for employers.Until recently, the routes to developing registered nurses within the workforce have been limited, with the university degree being the main way to train this group of staff. 

The introduction of the nursing degree apprenticeship gives a new opportunity for employers to train nurses, while the creation of the new nursing associate role can help to be a bridge between healthcare assistants and graduate registered nurses. These new routes can create a confusing picture for employers and so we have created a resource to support you to make the most of the new and existing routes into nursing.

The National Guardian's Office has published a report outlining the findings of their first Freedom to Speak Up (FTSU) guardian survey.

All NHS trusts are required by the NHS standard contract (2016/17) to nominate a Freedom to Speak Up (FTSU) guardian.

The survey finds that a significant amount of progress has already been made, with:

• nearly 9 out of 10 guardians reporting that they are communicating their role internally
• over 8 out of 10 guardians saying they feel supported by their senior management teams and chief executives (with only 3 in 100 reported feeling that they don’t get this support)
• 7 out of 10 guardians saying that their organisations are actively tackling barriers to speaking up.

The report recognises that there is more to be done to ensure the consistency and quality of support being provided in all NHS trusts across the country, and outlines some key recommendations for senior leaders to consider, including:

• allowing ring-fenced time to enable guardians properly to meet the needs of workers
• ensuring all workers, particularly the most vulnerable, have effective routes to enable them to speak up
• enabling boards to hear regularly from their guardian, in person.

The findings have been published following a nationwide survey that took place throughout June 2017.
*Credits - NHS Employers

The champion of flexible training role was included as part of the ACAS agreement around the 2016 doctors in training contract. The ultimate intention behind the introduction of the role was to create a shift in culture within the NHS, to give trainees more flexibility, and to offer them support as they carry out their training and other commitments they may have.

Every less than full time (LTFT) trainee doctor and dentist should have access to a champion of flexible training. The champion will play a strategic role in promoting and improving existing support for LTFT colleagues, advocating for them where necessary.

This guidance supports you as an employer to develop this important role within your organisation. It provides practical advice about the value of the role, and the skills, knowledge and resource the champion may need to be effective in their job.  

Published by NHS Employers, the guidance has been developed in consultation with the British Medical Association.
*Credits - NHS Employers

Access the guidance in full.

This staff retention guide includes best practice and advice for managers on everything from supporting new starters to flexible working.

Read our comprehensive guide for improving staff retention.

Aimed at employers, the guide was developed from work which took place during 2016-17 where NHS Employers engaged a large number of NHS organisations to help equip them with tools and resources to shape and implement effective workforce retention plans. 

This guide builds upon this work with these organisations and contains key information on: 

• using data to understand your workforce
• making improvement and change 
• getting board commitment
• building line manager competence
• good practice examples 
• evaluating your retention initiatives.

In addition, we have highlighted a number of case studies that illustrate the breadth of great work already taking place across the NHS, as well as resources to help you think about improving turnover and managing staff effectively. 

This manager’s edition mental health podcast is packed with tips and guidance for approaching mental health conversations with your staff.

Listen here

New guidance from Acas helps managers ensure trans people are treated fairly at work. Based on recent research into gender reassignment discrimination in the workplace, the guidance includes best practice on recruitment, confidentiality and line manager support.

Read more here