28.11.12
Staff health needs board level lead
Healthier staff can improve the quality of care provided by NHS organisations, a new report from the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) and the Faculty of Occupational Medicine (FOM) suggests.
The RCP and FOM are calling for a board level lead in every NHS trust to take responsibility for staff health and wellbeing.
The Staff Health Improvement project builds on a 2010 audit which found variation in trusts’ implementation of NICE public health guidance for the workplace. The project looked at what selected trusts have achieved since 2010 and how best practice can be shared and standardised.
The report recommends proactive board level leadership, strong organisational values and responsibility for staff health and wellbeing. Actions progressing well with NICE guidance include establishing and communicating a clear link between staff health and quality of patient care.
Jude Williams, lead for the Staff Health Improvement project, RCP said: “The Boorman review in 2009 told us that staff health improvement can have a positive impact on patient care. There is a series of NICE guidance which is evidence-based, with recommendations aimed at all employers, for improving staff health and wellbeing.
“All NHS trusts know they ought to be implementing the NICE guidance; but the 2011 NHS Staff survey found that less than half of the NHS workforce believes that their job is good for their health and 30% of staff report they have suffered work-related stress in the past 12 months. This project report shows that the NICE guidance aimed at improving staff health can be complied with and explains how that can be achieved through sharing examples of the best practice taking place in acute and mental health trusts in England.”
Professor Mike Kelly, director of the Centre for Public Health Excellence at NICE said: “I was pleased to be part of the group which helped to develop this report, which sets out how NHS organisations can use NICE public health guidance as a framework to address the major public health challenges, such as smoking, obesity, physical inactivity and mental wellbeing, within their workforce. I am sure it will be a useful aid to all healthcare organisations.”
Olivia Carlton, president of the FOM, said: “We strongly endorsed the findings of the Boorman Review which focused on NHS staff health and wellbeing. The HWDU’s work in systematic audit and sharing of good practice follows this through and is an excellent contribution to the work to improve staff health in the NHS.”
The report is at: www.rcplondon.ac.uk/sites/default/files/documents/staff_health_improvement_project-_board_briefing.pdf
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