A survey of Unison members working for NHS Grampian has found that almost nine in ten are stressed, and 81% feel their wellbeing is worse than it was before the coronavirus pandemic.
More than a third of the respondents said they had contacted their GP, occupational health or their line manager about problems with stress.
Three quarters of members surveyed believed their area was unsafe due to lack of staff, with 94% saying low staffing levels were an issue in their area.
The poll was carried out late last year when the winter pressures were at their highest. Unison was unable to confirm how many people took part in the survey, saying only: “We got a good and representative sample of members responding”.
Almost three quarters said they wanted more support in the workplace, with 45% saying they did not feel supported by their line manager and 56% saying they did not feel they were listened to when they raised concerns.
‘We can’t paper over the cracks’
Unison Grampian health branch representative Martin McKay said the survey showed staff at the health board were “at breaking point” after two years of going “beyond the call of duty”.
He said: “Members are telling us they are exhausted, with vacancies taking months to fill, covering for ill colleagues, and not feeling supported.
“The public will be shocked that most now believe their areas are unsafe, and we can’t paper over the cracks anymore.”
Mr McKay added that one member had said: “The only way I see a better working life is to leave and find another job.”
Simon Watson, the Unison regional organiser, said: “The long-term failure to
address short staffing is now having critical consequences, but we are not seeing the
response that is needed.”
Efforts to improve wellbeing
NHS Grampian‘s director of people and culture Tom Power said: “During [the pandemic], we have actively put in place staff health and wellbeing support through our ‘We Care’ programme, which complements our existing provision for supporting the mental and physical health of staff.
“We have also held our own staff surveys to help us understand where pressures were greatest and how colleagues are experiencing their working lives.
“We have put significant resource in to recruiting additional staff, both from the UK and overseas, and are starting to see an increased number of international recruits come on board.”
He added: “I wholeheartedly agree staff have a right to support in their workplace, and we are actively adding to existing structures to meet that need.
“We also have established mechanisms for staff to raise concerns about safety, or any other issues that matter to them, and these are regularly reviewed and responded to, helping us to maintain standards of patient care and staff experience.
“However, none of this detracts from how staff are currently feeling and the fact that the recovery of our system and the people that it relies upon cannot be achieved overnight.
“We have already established a staff group to explore new solutions and ways of working to help respond to the factors that create the challenges staff are experiencing, but do not underestimate the scale of the challenge.”