Supporting staff to achieve professional and personal goals, to work at their highest standards and to take care of themselves and each other is really important to the PICS leadership team. Every year, PICS asks staff to share their feedback of working with us and we use the information to continue what we do well, to share best practice across the organisation, and to make improvements.
100 per cent of our services are provided on behalf of the NHS so PICS runs a staff survey that is based on the NHS version. This enables us to benchmark our results to NHS community trusts who provide similar services. While they are much larger organisations with a wider variety of roles and working conditions, we do have shared goals, values and purpose and we offer integrated career pathways.
- 91% agree that patient care is the organisation’s top priority.
- 96% agreed the organisation acts fairly with regards to career progression and promotion.
- 93% say they are trusted to do their job.
- 86% of staff say they would recommend PICS as a place to work.
- 90% are happy with the standard of work from PICS in case a friend or relative needed treatment from us.
- 88% feel safe to speak up about anything that concerns them in the organisation.
- 85% feel their work is valued by the organisation.
PICS staff report higher satisfaction in all comparable areas with the NHS, including patient care as a top priority, feeling valued, support from a line manager, and in broader areas of team working, pay and flexible working.
Insights
The impact of the pandemic response has continued into 2021. Staff have worked very hard to continue to provided care to patients during lock-downs while also volunteering to deliver vaccinations and boosters across Nottinghamshire. PICS has also recognised a rise in people dealing with additional challenges in their personal lives and the combined impact of these pressures on their health and wellbeing.
PICS has supported home, hybrid and flexible working, provided health and wellbeing activities, continued with mindfulness training, and supported staff via the wellbeing Hub. We’ve improved internal and external communications to support access to information and to share best practice and celebrate success. We’ve established a new staff forum including a regular open meeting with the Managing Director and the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) forum. The staff conference has embedded segments for wellbeing and provides spaces for staff to meet and talk with each other. We matched the 3 per cent pay award across PICS and continued with service reviews, which support staff to research, analyse and examine their practice and impact in a supportive and safe environment.
In the coming year, additional efforts will be made for the wellbeing of staff with a focus on stress, offering a better work-life balance and promoting staff benefits. Career development opportunities will be reviewed and key policies will be kept under review such as flexible working and family-friendly support. Technology will be used to provide shared spaces to connect colleagues from different teams, alongside more face-to-face opportunities to get together and collaborate.
Who completed the survey?
In the 2021 survey, 73 per cent of 400 staff completed the survey over a period of five weeks from November to December:
- 53% were in clinical roles and 47% were non-clinical.
- 36% of the respondents had worked for PICS for less than 12 months.
- 38% work in Primary Care Networks, 28% in GP surgeries, 22% in corporate services and 12% in community services.
Achieving a robust data set
There is leadership support for encouraging staff to complete the survey, including reporting for line managers and regular requests from senior leaders. A working group coordinate the promotion of the survey and are supported by a communications plan. The Staff Survey Fund was launched in 2020; PICS donates money to a charity fundraising pot every time a member of staff completes the survey. Staff are invited to nominate their favourite charity for the chance to receive the fund, and the winning charity is drawn out of a hat once the survey closes. So far, £900 has been raised for charities close to the hearts of PICS staff. You can find out about the 2021 winning charity, ‘Our Dementia Choir’ and read the thank you letter from their Chair, Nottinghamshire actress Vicky McClure (shown below): PICSies support local Dementia charity.
