Fixing the NHS was a prominent issue of the general election, with parties offering up a range of policies and costed plans aimed to address long waiting lists and inefficiencies within the system. The new health secretary Wes Streeting has since ordered a review of the NHS, with the Labour government hoping to address the “hard truths” within healthcare.
During the penultimate week of Rishi Sunak’s government, YouGov polled NHS workers across the board about their experience of working in healthcare.
Seven in ten NHS workers in patient-facing roles say staff shortages regularly impact the quality of care provided
A clear majority of healthcare workers in patient-facing roles (69%) say that quality of care is often negatively impacted by shortages. Just 27% say shortages do not frequently impact patient care.
It is well-documented that the NHS has struggled with staff shortages and significant patient backlogs, particularly since the pandemic.
Our research reveals that shortly before Labour took over the controls, 70% of NHS workers said they were taking on more than their usual workload to compensate for staff shortages, including 71% of patient-facing staff.
While not all workers reported taking on extra duties, 92% acknowledged that there are at least some shortages in their workplace. Reports of shortages and extra duties as a result were roughly the same for both those in patient-facing roles and those not.
Although most NHS workers (58%) say their core workload is manageable most of the time, this drops to 21% when accounting for extra duties.
Majority of NHS workers experience burnout or emotional exhaustion at work at least some of the time
Our survey reveals a challenging day-to-day reality for NHS workers. During the week of our fieldwork, staff were most likely to report feeling “frustrated” (57%) and “stressed” (53%), and only a quarter (25%) feeling “happy”.
Three quarters (73%) say they experience burnout or exhaustion at least some of the time, including 27% who feel this way “always” or “most of the time”.
This may help explain why NHS staff are so divided over recommending a career in healthcare to a family member or friend – 42% say they would, but 47% would not.
An ageing population is expected to place even more pressure on the NHS in the coming decades, but in terms of staff retention, a quarter (27%) say it is unlikely that they will be working in the NHS in five years' time.
One in eight go further, with 13% saying they were planning to leave the NHS within the next 12 months.
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Photo: Getty
