The largest ever survey of NHS trust chairs and chief executives has revealed rising concern over the growing NHS “workforce gap”.
Only one in four trust leaders (27%) are confident they have the right staff numbers, quality and skill mix to deliver high quality healthcare for patients and service users. Fewer still (22%) are confident about having the right staffing levels in six months’ time. These findings show that, for many trust leaders, worries over staffing are becoming even greater and more urgent than those over funding.
172 chairs and chief executives from 136 hospital, mental heath, community and ambulance trusts responded to the survey – well over half of all England’s 238 NHS trusts. The survey forms the centrepiece of a comprehensive assessment from NHS Providers of the challenges trusts face and how they are responding, including successes which give grounds for optimism but are rarely celebrated.
The state of the NHS provider sector gives examples of where trusts are improving the quality of care and increasing productivity – despite having to work at full stretch due to severe financial constraints and rapidly growing demand.
Full story and report at NHS Providers 30 November 2016