The Trust

Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

The context

We recognised that we needed to understand the health behaviours, needs and interests of our NHS people. As a result, since 2013 we have run two health needs assessments. Both have been given a high-profile launch that included a global email from the chief executive, significant promotion through internal communications channels and health advocates.

Paper copies were also made available in areas where employees didn’t have easy access to a computer. Prize incentives were made available, and assurances were given that data was anonymous. Each occasion had more than 1,500 responses.

The approach

The results were combined with results from the NHS staff survey, local health profiles and internal data such as sickness absence to identify the priorities for our health and wellbeing plan. Using the results, the trust’s Healthy Workforce Steering Group has overseen an organisation-wide action plan on employee wellbeing. New initiatives and interventions were designed using a tiered model.

The results

As a result, the trust has seen an improvement on key finding 19 (organisation and management interest in and action on health and wellbeing) of the 2017 NHS staff survey and is amongst the top 20% of acute trusts for this.