High proportion of NHS staff feel swift and effective action is not taken to deal with inappropriate behaviours, new survey finds Two fifths (43 per cent) of NHS staff feel that swift and effective action is not taken to deal with inappropriate behaviours and performance in their organisation, a survey published today by The King’s Fund has found.
The survey of more than 2,000 NHS clinicians and managers also found that a noticeable proportion of executive board members (16 per cent) did not think that swift and effective action is being taken, with only 58 per cent thinking that it is. Dealing with inappropriate behaviour effectively is an important process to ensure the right cultures are fostered which will deliver high-quality, patient-centred care. However, the vast majority (89 per cent) of NHS staff believe that patient feedback is encouraged in their organisation, with 61 per cent feeling that patient feedback will be acted upon.
The survey, conducted for the second year in order to understand leadership, culture and compassionate care in the NHS, also revealed a consistent disconnect between the views of executive directors and other NHS staff, especially nurses and doctors. Executive directors tended to be much more positive about the working environment and culture within their organisations than other staff, especially nurses. For example, 63 per cent of executive directors believe that there is a pride and optimism among staff, as opposed to only 20 per cent of nurses and 22 per cent of doctors felt the same.
This lack of consensus is a cause for concern. In two reports published today, The King's Fund, working with the Center for Creative Leadership, a top ranked executive education provider worldwide, argue that to develop better cultures of care the NHS should promote collective leadership, where everyone takes responsibility for the success of the organisation as a whole. This requires high levels of dialogue, debate and discussion to achieve a shared understanding.
Only 39 per cent of NHS staff felt that their organisation was characterised by openness, honesty and challenge. Creating cultures of openness and honesty was a key recommendation made by Sir Robert Francis in his inquiry into the failings in care at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust, and linked to compassionate care.
Nicola Hartley, Director of Leadership Development, The King's Fund said:
'The survey reveals a mixed picture of leadership and compassion in the NHS. The disconnect between the views of executive directors and other staff, especially nurses and doctors, is cause for concern. It is important that NHS organisations engage in dialogue and debate to achieve a shared understanding of the challenges they face and what the solutions are. Creating truly compassionate patient services requires collective leadership, where all staff take responsibility for the success of the organisation and that this is actively promoted by leaders in the organisation. All NHS organisations should make creating a collective leadership strategy a priority.'
Over the past year, there has been clear improvement in how NHS staff view the quality of leadership in the NHS. 22 per cent of respondents thought quality of leadership was 'good' or 'very good', up from 14 per cent in 2013, while 28 per cent of NHS staff felt the quality of leadership was poor or very poor, down from 40 per cent in 2013. The King's Fund
More on the survey and collective leadership
The survey of more than 2,000 NHS clinicians and managers also found that a noticeable proportion of executive board members (16 per cent) did not think that swift and effective action is being taken, with only 58 per cent thinking that it is. Dealing with inappropriate behaviour effectively is an important process to ensure the right cultures are fostered which will deliver high-quality, patient-centred care. However, the vast majority (89 per cent) of NHS staff believe that patient feedback is encouraged in their organisation, with 61 per cent feeling that patient feedback will be acted upon.
The survey, conducted for the second year in order to understand leadership, culture and compassionate care in the NHS, also revealed a consistent disconnect between the views of executive directors and other NHS staff, especially nurses and doctors. Executive directors tended to be much more positive about the working environment and culture within their organisations than other staff, especially nurses. For example, 63 per cent of executive directors believe that there is a pride and optimism among staff, as opposed to only 20 per cent of nurses and 22 per cent of doctors felt the same.
This lack of consensus is a cause for concern. In two reports published today, The King's Fund, working with the Center for Creative Leadership, a top ranked executive education provider worldwide, argue that to develop better cultures of care the NHS should promote collective leadership, where everyone takes responsibility for the success of the organisation as a whole. This requires high levels of dialogue, debate and discussion to achieve a shared understanding.
Only 39 per cent of NHS staff felt that their organisation was characterised by openness, honesty and challenge. Creating cultures of openness and honesty was a key recommendation made by Sir Robert Francis in his inquiry into the failings in care at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust, and linked to compassionate care.
Nicola Hartley, Director of Leadership Development, The King's Fund said:
'The survey reveals a mixed picture of leadership and compassion in the NHS. The disconnect between the views of executive directors and other staff, especially nurses and doctors, is cause for concern. It is important that NHS organisations engage in dialogue and debate to achieve a shared understanding of the challenges they face and what the solutions are. Creating truly compassionate patient services requires collective leadership, where all staff take responsibility for the success of the organisation and that this is actively promoted by leaders in the organisation. All NHS organisations should make creating a collective leadership strategy a priority.'
Over the past year, there has been clear improvement in how NHS staff view the quality of leadership in the NHS. 22 per cent of respondents thought quality of leadership was 'good' or 'very good', up from 14 per cent in 2013, while 28 per cent of NHS staff felt the quality of leadership was poor or very poor, down from 40 per cent in 2013. The King's Fund
More on the survey and collective leadership
- See the full survey: Culture and leadership in the NHS
- Read our two reports on collective leadership: Developing collective leadership for health care and Delivering a collective leadership strategy for healthcare
- Read Michael West's blog: Collective leadership - fundamental to creating the cultures we need in the NHS
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