NHS Staff Survey results 2024

This year's results were on the back of an increased rate of participation with over 50 per cent of NHS staff responding. 

Key outcomes

The 2024 results have shown no change in the nine theme scores. All of the NHS People Promise scores remained broadly similar in 2024 as compared to 2023. This is the main takeaway from this year's results.

While it is positive that the improved theme scores achieved in 2023 were sustained, further improvement was not seen this year.

This has meant there is no overall change in the theme indicators on key areas of health and wellbeing, staff engagement or flexible working (all of which improved in 2023).

Most of the NHS Staff Survey themes are now back to pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels, and seven are at the highest level ever. These are:

• compassionate leadership
• health and safety climate
• burnout
• appraisals 
• support for work-life balance 
• flexible working 
• line management.

It should be noted that satisfaction with pay did improve, but this was from 31 per cent to 32 per cent and largely due to an improvement in medical staff opinion.

Sub-themes

There were few shifts in some individual areas (known as sub-themes). These included improvements in views regarding appraisal, staff satisfaction with pay, and staff who often think of leaving declined.

The generally good scores the NHS has on line managers and team working were broadly stable, though one indicator on respect dipped.

Willingness to recommend the NHS as place to work and as a place to be cared for were broadly stable compared to 2023 (which was an improvement on 2022). However, both scores were still lower than pre-pandemic levels.

Areas of concern  

Despite the results being similar to those of the previous year, there are some areas where concerns exist.

The overall level of violence worsened (question 13a) with staff experiencing violence from the public rising from 13.88 per cent to 14.38 per cent, while bullying and harassment level by the public remained at 25 per cent (14a). However, there were small improvements in levels of reporting in both areas.

Levels of unwanted sexual behaviour from public rose from 8.79 per cent to 8.82 per cent, while the metric regarding unwanted sexual behaviour from other staff fell slightly

A number of equality and diversity indicators worsened, in particular staff experience of discrimination from public rose from 8.58 per cent to 9.25 per cent.

The inequalities in staff experience measured by the Workforce Race Equality Standard (WRES) and the Workforce Disability Equality Standard (WDES) largely did not move.