A number of NHS organisations have responded to data from the NHS Confederation’s new female health and care workforce survey, to make recommendations for moving forward in light of the survey’s findings.
According to the figures, the physical and mental wellbeing of female health and care staff in England significantly worsened as a result of working through Covid-19, with a marked deterioration since last summer.
The poll, carried out by NHS Confederation’s Health and Care Women Leaders Network (CHCWLN) shows a significant rise in women working across health and care reporting a negative impact on their mental and physical health, as a result of working during the pandemic.
More than 80% of female respondents who completed the survey – including nurses, doctors, managers, admin staff, and allied health professionals – reported their job had a greater negative impact than usual on their emotional wellbeing as a result of the pandemic, up from 72% last summer. The results also showed 65% reported a negative impact on their physical health – a 13-percentage-point jump from the last survey.
Samantha Allen, Chair of the CHCWLN, and Chief Executive of Sussex Partnership NHS FT, said: “These survey findings underline the importance of the focus being placed upon the physical and mental health of NHS and care staff.
“As the majority of the health and care workforce is female, a significant burden in overcoming the enormous challenges we face in recovering services will fall on the shoulders of women.
“We need to see tailored support specifically for the needs of female staff and this should include recruitment, retention, flexible working and career progression. We are concerned that if these issues are not addressed, it could intensify the impact on our workforce at a time when the NHS can ill-afford to lose any more staff.
“We need to make sure we look after people, after the incredibly difficult experiences they have been through during the pandemic, while supporting patients and families and carers, with the increased responsibilities of caring for children and adults outside of work. Looking after our staff will enable us to continue looking after the people who need our services. The findings of this survey must be a driver of real and lasting change.”
More than 1,200 NHS staff responded to at least part of the survey, with about 900 completing it in full, including more than 800 staff who identified as female. The results cover the responses of the women who answered every question.
The survey, which follows a similar poll carried out in June, does highlight some of the positive experiences of female staff, including increased opportunities for flexible working, improved teamwork and better access to technology.
But the most recent findings also show how significantly caring responsibilities outside of work have grown since the summer for female staff. The results showed women working in health and care took on an average of about 13 hours extra a week in unpaid caring responsibilities, compared to before the pandemic, rising from about 11 extra hours. There was also an increase in the total number of hours spent each week on these responsibilities compared with the summer, from an average of about 18 to about 20.
In particular, respondents with children reported being far more involved in these tasks than usual. This is likely linked to the prolonged closure of schools, and reduced working hours.
Rebecca Smith, Managing Director of NHS Employers (part of the NHS Confederation) said: “We now need additional investment from the government, coupled with the existing and ongoing direct support by health and care organisations, to make sure the female workforce is properly looked after. As we come out of this crisis, we must continue to do all we can to protect and support our staff.
“NHS Employers will continue to work with NHS organisations to make sure these positives are maintained beyond the crisis, and embedded into new and innovative ways of working. We will also continue to provide guidance on support for the female workforce.”
The survey also found that female health and care staff with long-term health conditions reported a greater negative impact from the pandemic on their physical health, compared to those without long-term conditions, as well as feeling less safe sharing concerns with managers. Nearly 87% of respondents with long-term conditions reported that their job had a more negative impact on their emotional wellbeing since the pandemic started, compared with 78.9% of those without.
The CHCWLN said they will work with employers and national partners to understand the reasons for this disparity, and what more needs to be done to support the workforce, following the survey results.
Dr Henrietta Hughes, National Guardian for the NHS, said: “The pandemic has impacted on us all, emotionally and physically, and has exacerbated inequalities, which can no longer be tolerated. This report shows how vital it is, not just for people to feel able to speak up about anything which gets in the way of them doing their job, but for managers to be supported to listen up and for leaders to follow up so that the right actions are taken.”
