Save Hinchingbrooke Hospital

Care not top priority - NHS staff



Less than half of NHS staff believe patient care is the top priority for trusts, an annual staff survey shows.


The rest either did not believe their NHS trust saw it as a priority or neither agreed nor disagreed, the poll of 156,000 staff in England showed.
The Healthcare Commission report also revealed wide variations in infection control standards and no reductions in the number of staff being attacked.

Unions said some results were worrying, but noted staff seemed to be happy.

Three quarters said they were satisfied with their jobs, although only one in four said they felt valued by bosses.
One in four workers said they had been harassed, bullied or abused by patients or their relatives, while 13% said they had suffered physical violence, rising to 29% for those who worked in ambulances.

Ambulance staff were also critical about the condition of the vehicles with half saying they were in a poor state of repair.

Karen Jennings, head of health at Unison, said the results about care being a priority were worrying.

"Trusts must refocus attention on their patients and away from competition and privatisation," she said.

And she added there were still "disturbing levels of violence".



ENOUGH SAID - PATIENTS NOT PROFITS & PRIVATISATION

AS FOR BULLYING & ABUSE - IT IS RIFE AND GOES UNRECOGNISED
OR IS CHOSEN TO BE IGNORED  BY MANAGERS