Public Board Meeting January 2016 Item No 7b THIS PAPER IS FOR NOTING

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1 NOT PROTECTIVELY MARKED Public Board Meeting January 2016 Item No 7b THIS PAPER IS FOR NOTING STAFF SURVEY RESULTS 2015 Lead Director Rebecca Chalmers, Director of Human Resources and Organisational Development Key points The National Staff Survey results were received on 11 December The key findings are presented in this paper. The response rate was the highest it has been to date (37%), however, overall the responses given by staff indicate deterioration in employee engagement and commitment to the organisation, and an increase in the prevalence of work-related stress since the previous survey in The four areas identified for action are:- Action required Timing Contribution to the 2020 vision for Health and Social Care Benefit to Patients Equality and Diversity Improving health and wellbeing Protecting staff from abuse and reducing bullying and harassment Improved communication and involvement of staff Further development of organisational culture The Board is asked to note this paper and support the recommendations contained within it. A rapid, comprehensive and clear response to the survey results is required in order to demonstrate to the staff that their concerns are being listened to and acted upon. Improving employee engagement will have a positive impact on staff morale, motivation and organisational efficiency. Improved staff experience will result in improved patient experience. A number of questions contained within the staff survey provide data on equality and diversity issues, including demographic data and information relating to equality of career progression, and fair and equitable treatment. These elements will be analysed in detail and actions to address them designed accordingly. Doc: Staff Survey Results 2015 Page 1 Author: Director of HR and OD

2 NOT PROTECTIVELY MARKED SCOTTISH AMBULANCE SERVICE BOARD STAFF SURVEY RESULTS 2015 REBECCA CHALMERS, DIRECTOR OF HUMAN RESOURCES AND ORGANISATIONAL DEVELOPMENT SECTION 1: PURPOSE This paper provides an overview of the national staff survey results for the Scottish Ambulance Service in The Board is asked to discuss the staff survey results and support the recommendations for the focus of future action. SECTION 2: BACKGROUND The results of the staff survey were received in mid December The final return rate for the 2015 survey was 37% (1602 respondents) which represents the highest ever return rate for the Scottish Ambulance Service. The national response rate for NHSScotland was 38%. The survey was conducted in August 2015 at the same time as increased media coverage of staff concerns regarding workload, shift overruns and operational pressures. It is likely that the increased return rate is linked to this, and the results reflect the themes identified by staff at that time. SECTION 3: DISCUSSION The questions answered most positively by staff in 2015 were: I am happy to go the extra mile at work when required (79% agree); I am clear what my duties and responsibilities are (76%); I get the help and support I need from colleagues (69%); I still intend to be working with the Scottish Ambulance Service in 12 months time (64%); and I understand how my work fits into the overall aims of the Scottish Ambulance Service (63%). Doc: Staff Survey Results 2015 Page 2 Author: Director of HR and OD

3 The questions answered least positively by staff in 2015 were: Staff are always consulted about changes at work (13%); There are enough staff for me to do my job properly (15%); I am confident my ideas or suggestions would be listened to (17%); When changes are made at work, I am clear how they will work out in practice (20%); and I have a choice in deciding what I do at work (22%). The top five questions answered less positively by Scottish Ambulance Service staff than the national score were: Have you had any health and safety training paid for or provided by your Health Board? e.g. fire training, manual handling etc. (-37) During the past 12 months while working for the Scottish Ambulance Service, have you experienced emotional/verbal abuse from patients/service users or other members of the public? (-32) Care of patients/service users is the Scottish Ambulance Service's top priority (-28) I have sufficient opportunities to put forward new ideas or suggestions for improvement in my workplace (-28) and; The Scottish Ambulance Service acts fairly and offers equality of opportunity with regard to career progression/promotion (-26) Appendices to the Staff Survey main report provide details of the questions, compared to 2014, where there were statistically significant improvements; statistically significant deteriorations; or no statistical difference. There were 18 questions with deterioration, none with an improvement and 11 with no change. The top five areas with the most significant deterioration in negative responses compared to 2014 are as follows: Question 2015 negative % 2014 negative % Difference % I can meet all the conflicting demands on my time at work There are enough staff for me to do my job properly I believe it is safe to speak up and challenge the way things are done if I have concerns about quality, negligence or wrongdoing by staff I am able to do my job to a standard I am personally pleased with I would recommend my workplace as a good place to work Doc: Staff Survey Results 2015 Page 3 Author: Director of HR and OD

4 The table below shows those questions which had the greatest reduction in positive response compared with 2014: Question 2015 positive % 2014 positive % Difference % I still intend to be working with the Scottish Ambulance Service in 12 months time I am able to do my job to a standard I am personally pleased with I can meet all the conflicting demands on my time at work I would recommend my workplace as a good place to work 34 Care of patients/service users is the Scottish Ambulance Service's top priority In 2015 we took the opportunity to ask the staff questions about their experience in relation to work-related stress. The wording of the questions was agreed in partnership prior to the issue of the survey. The results showed that 49% of the staff surveyed stated that they frequently or always felt stressed at work. The top five reasons for feeling stressed at work were; Insufficient staff Work demands Insufficient resources (other than staff) My workload Insufficient training/development SECTION 4: CONCLUSIONS Scottish Ambulance Service staff have given consistent responses as part of the survey for the last three years. Their main concerns fall into four categories as shown in the table below; Wellbeing Welfare Communication and Involvement Organisational Development Reduce workrelated stress Improve feeling of wellbeing at work Re-design of working practices Reduce verbal abuse Reduce bullying and harassment Involve staff in change Listen to staff Improve understanding of future development opportunities Fair treatment Freedom to speak up Just culture Doc: Staff Survey Results 2015 Page 4 Author: Director of HR and OD

5 This year we propose to adopt a more formal approach to communicating how actions and commitments are progressed, and give the staff survey action plan more prominence, clarity and visibility, linked to a clear communication and engagement plan. There are plans in place already to address all these issues, but more work is required to communicate change to staff and involve them in improving their working life within the Scottish Ambulance Service. During the second half of 2015 we introduced a number of measures to address staff concerns directly, particularly regarding the issues of shift overruns, time to complete vehicle checks, protecting meal breaks and reducing the amount of overtime required to run the service. It will be critically important to maintain progress and the associated communication efforts on these key issues for staff, taking a partnership approach to do so. The communication strategy for all the elements of the 2020 strategy will need to be comprehensive and clear, to ensure that staff can see the links between our clinical service and workforce development plans, and improvements in their day to day working lives as a result of investment in increased staffing, improved training and development opportunities, extended scope of practice and improved technology to do the job. Local teams are discussing their local responses to the survey results and are carrying out focused and detailed analysis of their results. There are pockets of the organisation which have been identified as having specific issues to address, for example Ambulance Control Centres, Fleet and AirWing, and managers will be supported by dedicated Human Resources support to agree action plans to address the issues coming forward from staff. In terms of the national response, it is proposed that we develop a national campaign around the issues identified above. There is significant overlap between the themes identified, and current plans to promote attendance and improve wellbeing. The Human Resources and Organisational Development team will work to align these projects and ensure that resources are targeted on the key issues. Dedicated HR support will be put in place to manage progress against commitments in the corresponding action plans. This will be monitored by the Executive Team and the Staff Governance Committee. The successful implementation of imatter will be critical to improving our response for the next national staff survey, which will be carried out in As part of the continued implementation of the Developing our Future Leaders and Managers programme, the importance of the completion of imatter action plans will be emphasised and prioritised with front line staff. SECTION 5: RECOMMENDATION The Board is asked to note the Staff Survey results and the associated recommendations for action. Doc: Staff Survey Results 2015 Page 5 Author: Director of HR and OD